Blinken: Hamas only obstacle to ceasefire in Gaza
According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Hamas is the only obstacle to a ceasefire in Gaza. He said this on Friday during a meeting in the US state of Arizona, ahead of the planned arrival of a Hamas delegation in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Saturday for talks on such a ceasefire.
“We are waiting to see if they can give a ‘yes’ response to the ceasefire and the release of hostages,” Blinken said of Hamas. However, he also warned at the same meeting that a major Israeli attack on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip is unacceptable. According to him, Israel has not proposed a plan to protect civilians in the event of such an attack. “Without such a plan, we cannot support a major military operation in Rafah because the damage it would cause is beyond what is acceptable,” he said.
Israel has given Hamas a week to agree to its terms for a ceasefire. If Hamas does not do so, the Israelis will start their ground offensive in Rafah, which was announced weeks ago. Egyptian sources stated this to the Wall Street Journal on Friday.
