U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday called for an extension of the truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip for "an eighth day and beyond." The truce between the two belligerents, which was initially supposed to last five days, has been extended since November 24 but is theoretically due to end on Friday morning at 7 a.m. (5 GMT). However, negotiations are continuing for a possible extension beyond this deadline.
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"Clearly, we want to see this process continue to move forward," Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv after a visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank. "We want an eighth day and beyond," he said. The truce, brokered by foot, hour by hour, under the aegis of Egypt and Qatar, offered respite to the people of Gaza, who have been relentlessly shelled since Hamas' bloody attack on Israeli soil on 7 October.
Create 'safe' areas for Palestinian civilians if fighting resumes
Earlier in the day, Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The US secretary of state also called on the Israeli army to create "safe" areas for Palestinian civilians in southern and central Gaza in the event of renewed fighting. "Humanitarian protection plans for civilians must be put in place to minimize the deaths of innocent Palestinians," he said.
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"This means taking more effective measures to protect the lives of civilians, including by clearly and precisely designating areas and places in southern and central Gaza where they can be safe and safe from the line of fire," he added. Antony Blinken said it was imperative for Israel, a U.S. ally, "that the massive loss of civilian life and displacement on the scale we have seen in northern Gaza is not repeated in the south" of the territory controlled by Hamas since 2007.