CAIRO, Egypt: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Thursday said a major military operation by Israel in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah would be “a mistake”, and added a truce agreement was still “possible”.
Addressing a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo, the US official said “gaps are narrowing” in the ongoing ceasefire and hostage release talks in Qatar, where the head of Israel’s spy agency was due to meet his American and Egyptian counterparts Friday.
“It’s difficult to get there, but I believe it is still possible,” Blinken said adding there is “a better way to deal with the ongoing threat posed by Hamas” than Israel’s plans for a major military operation in Rafah.
Global concern is growing over an impending Israeli ground attack on Rafah, a city home to 1.5 million mostly displaced Palestinians.
He said the ground attack was “unnecessary” and there is no place for the civilians gathered in Rafah to escape.
“There is a false choice involved here … Hamas can be effectively dealt with without a major ground operation in Rafah,” Blinken said further.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry also called for a ceasefire and the release of hostages and detainees and strengthening aid operations in view of the unprecedented situation.
The United Nations has repeatedly warned of the impending famine facing 2.4 million people in the besieged Palestinian territories. More than five months of fighting have largely destroyed civilian infrastructure in the region and forced most people to flee.
Repeating Cairo’s previous warning against the forced displacement of Palestinians, Shoukry said that in order to prevent more civilian casualties and displacement, Israel should not carry out any military operations in Rafah.
Blinken and Shoukry met early Thursday with the ministers of the governments of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, as well as representatives of the Palestinian Authority, which governs the occupied West Bank.
In a joint statement, the Arab ministers called for a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire and the opening of all the borders of Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Blinken also acknowledged that the United States had released a draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza after the Security Council vetoed the language for months.
The draft resolution stressed the need for an immediate and lasting ceasefire to protect civilians and allow aid to land.
Blinken stressed that any immediate ceasefire must be accompanied by the release of hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attack.
