During a recent meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State of the United States, discussed Washington’s stance on a potential large-scale assault on the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Despite reservations from Washington, Netanyahu expressed his willingness to order the entry into Rafah, which has over a million Palestinians. He assured hostage relatives that the Israeli Army would enter regardless of any potential agreement with Hamas.
Blinken also discussed the improvement in humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza and emphasized the need for continued efforts to accelerate aid delivery. During his visit to Kerem Shalom crossing on the Israel-Gaza border, Blinken observed aid delivery operations alongside Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and officials from COGAT.
In addition to discussing Gaza, Blinken urged Netanyahu to avoid conflict escalation in other regions of the Middle East. The conversation did not touch upon recent clashes between Iranian and Israeli forces. Overall, Blinken’s meeting with Netanyahu focused on finding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and ensuring that hostages were released.
