CAIRO: Ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the Middle East on Monday, a senior Hamas official urged the United States to use its influence to halt the ongoing Israeli violence in Gaza.
Blinken’s visit to Egypt and Israel aims to advance ceasefire efforts and prevent the escalation of violence in Lebanon.
“We call upon the US administration to put pressure on the occupation to stop the war on Gaza,” said senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri, expressing Hamas’ willingness to engage positively with any initiative to halt the conflict.
During his eighth visit to the region since the start of the war on October 7, Blinken will travel to Jordan and Qatar before meeting Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Bilken will meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo during his visit to Egypt.
Palestinian residents said that Israeli tanks attempted to advance further into Gaza early Monday, targeting densely populated areas such as Shaboura.
Israeli forces have already seized Gaza’s border strip with Egypt and invaded various districts of the city, leading to mass displacement of residents.
Blinken’s visit follows US President Joe Biden’s proposal for a three-phase ceasefire plan, including an end to hostilities, the release of hostages and prisoners, and the reconstruction of Gaza.
At least 37,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women, have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7.
