US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Hamas' ceasefire proposal in Gaza is a “starting point” that leaves room for an agreement to be reached. Blinken held a press conference to culminate his diplomatic tour of the Middle East, the fifth since the conflict began.
The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since the start of the war amounts to 27,708, in addition to 67,147 wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, controlled by Hamas. Abbas reiterated to Blinken “the need to immediately stop the continued Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people,” in what he considered “a war of genocide and destruction” carried out by Israel.