Source IDF
Amman/Tel Aviv/Ramallah: As Israel enters the fifth week of its war with Hamas in Gaza, the prominent Arab nations – Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates and Qatar as well as the secretary general of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, told the United States of America in no uncertain terms that there should be an immediate ceasefire that will end this war and end the killing of the innocent and the destruction it is causing.
It may be mentioned that the USA has so far insisted against any ceasefire claiming it would only help Hamas to regroup. The US has so far only advocated ‘pauses’, to help allow the civilians to move to safety, and access humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
“…we in Jordan and all the Arab countries – we consider that this is a war crime that we will stop with all our strengths. The Arab countries, the Arab world demand an immediate ceasefire that will end this war and end the killing of the innocent and the destruction it is causing. And we don’t accept that it is a self-defence; it is a raging war that is killing civilians, destroying their homes, their hospitals, their schools, their mosques, and their churches. It cannot be justified under any pretext, and it will not bring Israel security; it will not bring the region peace,” Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi categorically told the US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken.
Stating that rage cannot and should not be allowed to destroy the lives of millions of people, Safadi told Blinken point blank that the US has a leading role to play in these efforts [to stop the war] He also referred to West Bank, saying the Arab world was extremely worried on the situation there and that “killing and violation of international law cannot continue there”. He warned that [Israeli] settlers should not be allowed to rampage Palestinian communities and kill innocents in the West Bank, and demanded that “Israeli soldiers who brought despicable humiliation to Palestinians after illegally detaining them should be held accountable”.
Safadi asserted, “The killing must stop, and also Israel immune from committing war crimes must stop”. He added: “… With every missile unleashed on Gaza, with every killing of a Palestinian child – and Israel has killed in this war more children than all global conflicts did since 2019 – the whole region is sinking in a sea of hatred that will define generations to come…This is not a religious war. It’s not a war between Muslims and Jews. This is defined in its context and all our values – Muslim, Christian, Jewish, all other human values dictate that we work for peace and we stop this madness and we do not allow for the very dangerous dehumanization that we see.”
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that the “unfortunate killing events in Gaza cannot be justified”. He made it loud and clear to Blinken that Egypt “would not accept to go into an argument or accept the justification of these practices as considered against the – our right to self-defence”. While pointing out that Egypt was exerting all efforts to guarantee delivering aid to the Gaza Strip and help treat the wounded civilians despite facing obstacles, he declared: “The collective punishment – Israel targeting innocent civilians and facilities, medical facilities, paramedics, in addition to trying to force migration for Palestinians to leave their lands – this cannot be a legitimate self-defence at all.”
Blinken, on his part, acknowledged that he (and Israel) had “different views and positions on certain necessary steps”. He made it clear that the United States supports “Israel’s right to defence against Hamas, a terrorist organization that attacked it brutally and that cares not a whit about the Palestinian people or their futures. This is the same right that each of our countries has”. He, however, added, “But as Israel conducts its campaign, how it does it matters. Israel must take every possible measure to prevent civilian casualties”.
Later today (IST), in a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, he reiterated that the United States “remains committed to advancing equal measures of dignity and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike”. The Secretary also expressed the commitment of the United States to working toward the realization of the Palestinians’ legitimate aspirations for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Earlier, in his meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Blinken discussed the protection of civilians; facilitation of the increased, sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance and the resumption of essential services; and ensuring that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced outside of Gaza. He also expressed concern regarding the increasing violence in the West Bank and emphasised the US commitment to working with “partners’ towards a durable and sustainable peace in the region, including the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, claiming that Israel continues to take feasible measures in order to mitigate the impact on Gaza’s residents, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) today squarely blamed Hamas for hampering civilian evacuation in the Gaza Strip. “In one example from this weekend, IDF forces attempted to open a humanitarian corridor on the Salah Al-Din route in the Gaza Strip between 13:00 and 16:00 and publicly announced this via the IDF Spokesperson for Arab Media’s Twitter (X) account. However, Hamas terrorists took advantage of this to fire mortar shells and anti-tank missiles at the IDF forces trying to open the corridor,” the IDF claimed. Moreover, today afternoon, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the IDF Spokesperson, claimed to have “exposed” intelligence showing the extent to which Hamas exploits hospitals in the Gaza Strip. This included footage of Hamas terrorists firing from within hospitals, data on efforts made by the IDF to urge Gazan residents to move south, and more.
Israel said that triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israeli communities in southern Israel, the IDF forces were continuing to operate deep within the Gaza Strip, combining air, navy and ground forces with pinpoint intelligence, and since the ground operations began a little over a week ago, over 2,500 terrorist targets were struck, including terrorist compounds, observation posts, terrorist tunnels, weapons depots, senior tactical leadership, and more.
“Northern Gaza is encircled, with IDF forces present and conducting pinpoint operations deeper within Gaza,” the IDF said today.
– global bihari bureau
