‘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 fighting stop.
“We are waiting to see if they can give a ‘yes’ response to the ceasefire and the release of hostages,” Blinken said of Hamas. “The reality right now is that Hamas is the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire.”
However, Blinken also warned at the same meeting that a major Israeli attack on the busy city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip is unacceptable. According to him, Israel has not presented 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 this, the Israelis will start their ground offensive in Rafah, which was announced weeks ago. Egyptian officials told the Wall Street Journal on Friday.
