As Israel gears for the Rafah offensive, the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived on Friday in Tel Aviv to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his War Cabinet. This is Blinken's sixth trip to Israel since the war after the October 7 Hamas strikes. Blinken’s visit comes on the backdrop of intensified criticism by several nations over the Rafah assault plan.
Blinken said that he will share alternatives to Israel's planned ground assault into the southern Gaza town of Rafah when he meets with Netanyahu and top officials.
During Blinken’s Middle East tour, he had discussed efforts for a cease-fire and ideas for Gaza's post-conflict future with the Arab leaders. It is important to deal with Hamas, he had said, adding that it should not be costing the lives of civilians.
Also, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will vote Friday on a US resolution declaring the imperative of an immediate and sustained cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
It also supports diplomatic efforts to secure a cease-fire in connection with the release of all remaining hostages and emphasises the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Thursday, said that up to 60 per cent of children under 5 years of age are now malnourished.
Nearly 32,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in the Israel-Hamas war.
In Cairo, after meeting with the Arab leaders, Blinken had said that the Israeli assault on Rafah would be a mistake
Blinken met with top diplomats from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates during his Middle East tour.
UN resolution
The US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she was optimistic that the new, tougher draft resolution would be approved Friday by the 15-member council.
The draft being put to a vote determines which is a council order the imperative of an immediate and sustained cease-fire, with no direct link to the release of hostages taken during Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, which was in the previous draft.
But it would unequivocally support diplomatic efforts to secure such a cease-fire in connection with the release of all remaining hostages," and emphasises the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to civilians in the entire Gaza Strip.
