During a forthcoming visit to Israel, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Wednesday that he would seek to extend the ceasefire in the Gaza conflict.
Following a NATO summit in Brussels, Blinken stated, “Looking at the next couple of days, we’ll be focused on doing what we can to extend the pause so that we continue to get more hostages out and more humanitarian assistance in.”
“We would like to see the pause extended because of the positive outcomes it has brought about, most notably the release of the hostages and their return home to be with their families.”
The top US official expressed his opinion that an extension would benefit Israel as well.
He stated, “We’re working on that; they’re also very focused on getting their people home.”
On his third trip to the Middle East during a war, Blinken will visit Ramallah to see Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv.
Following a six-day break in fighting that was brought on by deadly Hamas strikes that led to a catastrophic Israeli military offensive in the region, the current truce in Gaza is set to end early on Thursday.
On October 7, a wave of Hamas militants stormed into Israel, murdering 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and capturing roughly 240 more.
According to Hamas officials, Israel’s ensuing air and military campaign in Gaza has killed up to 15,000 people, the majority of whom were civilians, and destroyed a significant portion of the northern region.
As negotiators attempted to bring an end to the dispute permanently, a source close to Hamas stated on Wednesday that the militant group is willing to offer more Israeli captives and extend a four-day truce in exchange for Palestinian inmates.
As a result of the agreement, 180 Palestinian inmates and 60 Israeli captives have already been freed, and more are scheduled to be released on Wednesday. Qatar, the dispute mediator, stated that negotiations were aimed at a “sustainable” ceasefire.