AMMAN: Arab leaders on Saturday urged an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s military aggressions in Gaza, pressing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to convince Israel; however, the top US diplomat maintained that such a halt at the moment would only allow Palestinian resistance group Hamas to regroup.
Foreign ministers of Jordan and Egypt, standing alongside Blinken, emphasized the need for a cessation of hostilities, expressing their concerns over the civilian casualties in Gaza. Blinken, while acknowledging the humanitarian crisis, emphasized Israel’s right to defend itself and stated that an immediate ceasefire would not guarantee long-term stability.
“A ceasefire at the moment would leave Hamas in place, able to regroup and repeat what it did on October 7,” Blinken said. “No nation, none of us would accept this.”
The foreign ministers of Jordan and Egypt repeatedly pushed for a cessation of hostilities, saying the death of thousands of civilians could not be justified as self-defense.
Blinken Discusses Gaza Situation with Arab Foreign Ministers
Blinken met with several Arab foreign ministers in Amman, Jordan, to discuss ongoing Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip. The meeting gave Blinken the chance to speak with Arab foreign ministers and Hussein Al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Before meeting with the US top diplomat, the Arab foreign ministers met with Jordan’s King Abdullah, the Jordanian Royal Court said in a statement. A statement said the king stressed “the need to continue Arab coordination to speak with one voice to the global community on critical developments in Gaza.”
This week, the Israeli military expanded its air and ground offensives on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless Israeli airstrikes. At least 9,488 innocent Palestinians, mostly children and women, have been martyred in Israeli attacks.
Meanwhile, on November 3, the World Health Organization condemned Israel’s attacks on healthcare facilities and hospitals in the Gaza Strip as ‘unacceptable,’ highlighting the devastating impact on the already strained healthcare system in the region.
