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TEL AVIV – Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday to push the Israeli government to protect civilians during their assault on Gaza, as the Biden administration continues to work for the release of Hamas-held hostages and to enable U.S. citizens trapped inside the narrow territory to escape into Egypt amid growing concerns in Washington that the Israeli strategy may be undermining its own security interests.
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The effort was a reprise of a visit by Blinken last month, just days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. This time, though, the top U.S. diplomat is expected to press the Israelis more forcefully to ease the growing humanitarian situation in the densely populated territory of Gaza, where the United Nations estimates that more than half the population has been displaced by the Israeli assault.
President Biden has called for “humanitarian pauses” in the Israeli offensive that would facilitate aid getting in and foreign nationals in Gaza getting out, after the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt finally allowed people through this week. Blinken is also expected to discuss long-term plans with the Israelis about the thorny question of how Gaza would be administered once their military effort is over – as well as even longer-term ideas about whether a U.S.-backed two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians is still possible.
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“How Israel does this matters,” Blinken told reporters on Thursday before boarding his plane at Joint Base Andrews. “We’ve seen in recent days Palestinian civilians continuing to bear the brunt of it, this action, and it’s important that the United States is committed to making sure everything possible is done to protect civilians.”
U.S., in policy switch, urges humanitarian pauses in Gaza
A senior administration official said that humanitarian pauses would be among the U.S. proposals “to facilitate aid getting in and hostages getting out” of Gaza. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive planning around the trip.
Biden said Wednesday that he favors such a pause, but not a cease-fire — the first time he has publicly expressed the position that senior administration officials took last week.
Blinken is embarking on another round of regional diplomacy after crisscrossing the Middle East last month for more than a week. The Biden administration has offered robust military support to Israel in its effort to respond to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, but it has increasingly urged Israeli leaders to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza and to hold back from a full-scale invasion.
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The administration is trying to prevent the conflict from escalating into a regional war, and officials have been keeping a careful eye on Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement as well as Tehran itself.
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Blinken said he would also push for long-term planning for regional security, reiterating that a two-state solution is the best way Israel can ensure its safety.
“We’re focused on the day of,” he said. “We also need to be focused on the day after.”
He said he would raise “concrete steps that can and should be taken to minimize harm to men, women and children in Gaza.”
Calls rising globally for pause in Israel-Gaza violence to let aid arrive
U.S. diplomats pushed hard to facilitate the opening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to enable foreign nationals and wounded civilians to leave starting Wednesday. Blinken said he wants to preserve that crossing, as well as make progress on freeing the remaining hostages held by Hamas.
While in Israel, Blinken will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and the war cabinet. He will depart Israel Friday afternoon and meet with Jordanian leaders over the weekend.
Israel-Gaza war Injured Palestinians and foreign passport holders were able to leave for a second day, including some of the hundreds of American citizens waiting to leave Gaza through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt. Meanwhile, Israel said it was pressing its offensive against Hamas militants. Follow live updates and understand what’s behind the war between Israel and Hamas.
Hostages: Israeli officials say Hamas militants abducted about 240 hostages in a highly organized attack. Four hostages have been released — two Americans and two Israelis — as families hold on to hope. One released Israeli hostage recounted the “spiderweb” of Gaza tunnels she was held in.
Humanitarian aid: The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it has received over 300 trucks with food, medicine and water to the Gaza Strip through Egypt’s Rafah crossing. However, the PRCS said, there hasn’t been permission yet to bring in fuel, which powers the enclave’s hospitals, water pumps, taxis and more.
Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip has a complicated history, and its rulers have long been at odds with the Palestinian Authority, the U.S.-backed government in the West Bank. Here is a timeline of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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