Blinken: ‘measurable progress’ in delivering aid to Gaza but ceasefire ‘most effective’ to address humanitarian suffering
Antony Blinken has told a meeting of regional leaders in Riyadh that the most effective way to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza is to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Speaking in Saudi Arabia, the US secretary of state said that there had been âmeasurable progressâ in delivering aid to Gaza, which Israel has beseiged for six months, but more is needed.
International aid agency groups have repeatedly warned of imminent famine, especially in the north of Gaza, due to a failure to get in more aid while the territory undergoes near continuous aerial bombardment from Israeli forces. At least 20 Palestinians including five children were reported killed by airstrikes overnight in Rafah, where an estimated one million displaced people are sheltering. The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it does not accept the assessment there is famine in the territory.
Blinken said that Iran was the biggest source of instability in the region. He said that events of the last few months had shown in the âsharpest possible reliefâ that there were two possible paths ahead.
One, he said, was âriven with division, destruction and violence and permanent insecurity.â
He suggested, however, that meetings such as today showed that there were far more nations in the region interested in the second path, of âgreater integration, greater security, greater peaceâ.
âMany more of us want to pursue that path,â Blinken said.
Blinken is scheduled to meet Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, speak at a World Economic Forum event in Riyadh, and also meet Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan and other regional representatives before an anticipated visit to Israel later in the week.
Key events
Asked about pro-Palestinian demonstrations which have swept US university campuses and led to scores of arrests and confrontations, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said he respected and understood the âprofound emotionsâ people were feeling about the human suffering in Gaza, but also expressed frustration that the role of Hamas was seemingly being âearsedâ.
He told the audience at the World Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia:
I think what weâre seeing in my own country, and in the region, and many other places, reflects the deep emotions, the profound feelings, that many people have at the suffering that so many people are enduring, and in particular the innocent children, women, and men in Gaza.
Itâs a profound thing. I not only understand it, I understand why people are speaking out and speaking up. And I think this is something that generation to generation, people find things to be galvanised by, and I understand it profoundly.
At the same time, I have to say that I would wish that other elements were reflected in what people are saying what theyâre doing. I donât hear anything said about Hamas.
I donât hear anyone reflecting on the fact that obviously, the atrocity of 7 October never should have happened, but once it happened, everything could have been over in an instant if Hamas had stopped hiding behind civilians, put down its weapons, given back the hostages, and surrendered. None of the suffering that weâve seen since would have happened.
So where is the demand on Hamas? Thereâs been silence. Itâs almost as if it has been erased from the story. Thatâs something that I think we also need to reflect on. Even as I say, I profoundly understand the deep emotion that that people are expressing, whether itâs on our campuses or other places.
Antony Blinken has said that the implementation of a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel and the normalisation of relationships in the region with Israel would serve as the greatest rebuke to Iran and Hamas.
The US secretary of state said:
I think the single biggest most effective rebuke to both Iran and Hamas would be Israel having normal relations with every country in this region, and the realisation of a Palestinian state.
Of course, both Hamas and Iran have opposed a two-state solution. So almost by definition, achieving it would be a profound rebuke to everything that theyâve stood for â and destroyed for â over many years.
Blinken: Hamas is ‘the only thing’ standing in the way of a ceasefire in Gaza
Speaking at the World Economic Forum meeting in Saudi Arabia, Antony Blinken has said the only thing standing in the way of a ceasefire in Gaza is Hamas, and they need to âdecide quicklyâ on the deal in front of them.
The US secretary of state told the audience that the region faced âarguably the worst crisis in the Middle East since 1948â, and that the US was âtrying to bring the conflict in Gaza to an end, trying to ensure that it doesnât spread.â
He said:
Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel. And in this moment, the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas. They have to decide and they have to decide quickly. And Iâm hopeful that they will make the right decision. And we can have a fundamental change in the dynamic.
Blinken extended thanks to Qatar and Egypt for their work in attempting to broker a deal, saying âwe are determined to do everything we can to bring an end to the terrible human suffering that weâre seeing every single day in Gaza among children, women, men, whoâve been caught in a terrible crossfire of Hamasâ making.â
At least 34,488 Palestinians have been killed and 77,643 were injured during Israelâs military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, a statement by Gazaâs Hamas-led health ministry said on Monday.
Reuters reported the minister said 34 were killed and 68 injured in the last 24 hours.
It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.
Here are some slightly fuller quotes from Franceâs foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné speaking to Reuters earlier. He told the news agencies:
Things are moving forward but you always have to be careful in these discussions and negotiations. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and we need a ceasefire. We will discuss the hostages, humanitarian situation and the ceasefire. Things are progressing, but we must always remain prudent in these discussions and negotiations.
At the World Economic Forum (WEF) gathering in Saudi Arabia, US secretary of state Antony Blinken is about to appear in conversation with Børge Brende, the former foreign minister of Norway. We will bring you any key lines that emerge.
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Blinken: ‘measurable progress’ in delivering aid to Gaza but ceasefire ‘most effective’ to address humanitarian suffering
Antony Blinken has told a meeting of regional leaders in Riyadh that the most effective way to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza is to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Speaking in Saudi Arabia, the US secretary of state said that there had been âmeasurable progressâ in delivering aid to Gaza, which Israel has beseiged for six months, but more is needed.
International aid agency groups have repeatedly warned of imminent famine, especially in the north of Gaza, due to a failure to get in more aid while the territory undergoes near continuous aerial bombardment from Israeli forces. At least 20 Palestinians including five children were reported killed by airstrikes overnight in Rafah, where an estimated one million displaced people are sheltering. The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it does not accept the assessment there is famine in the territory.
Blinken said that Iran was the biggest source of instability in the region. He said that events of the last few months had shown in the âsharpest possible reliefâ that there were two possible paths ahead.
One, he said, was âriven with division, destruction and violence and permanent insecurity.â
He suggested, however, that meetings such as today showed that there were far more nations in the region interested in the second path, of âgreater integration, greater security, greater peaceâ.
âMany more of us want to pursue that path,â Blinken said.
Blinken is scheduled to meet Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, speak at a World Economic Forum event in Riyadh, and also meet Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan and other regional representatives before an anticipated visit to Israel later in the week.
Antony Blinken has said that Iran is the greatest threat to stability in the region, and also addressed the issue of Yemen Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken is speaking in Saudi Arabia. We will bring you any key lines that emerge.
More details soon â¦
At least 20 Palestinians reported killed by Israeli strikes on Rafah overnight
Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Rafah for Al Jazeera, has said that it has been âan extremely difficult night for civiliansâ. Conflicting numbers are being given by different local media outlets, but he states that âat least 20 Palestinians were killed, including five childrenâ by Israeli airstrikes.
He wrote for the news network:
Hospitals in densely populated areas were flooded with people and bodies piled up in morgues before being taken for burial. We have also been hearing about artillery attacks on other areas in the territory, including in the Bureij refugee camp. Battles were also raging overnight between Hamas fighters and Israeli soldiers close to Nuseirat junction in central Gaza.
Reuters, citing a statement on the Telegram messaging app, reports that the Hamasâ al Qassam Brigades said on Monday it had targeted an Israeli military position with a salvo of missiles from south Lebanon.
More details soon â¦
Talks on a ceasefire in Gaza are progressing, French foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné said on Monday in Riyadh, where he was due to meet other ministers of Arab and western countries as well as Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.
âThings are moving forward but you always have to be careful in these discussions and negotiations. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and we need a ceasefire,â he told Reuters.
There are conflicting local media reports on the number of people killed overnight by Israeli airstrikes on Rafah, with some outlets putting the number as high as 22.
Israelâs military, meanwhile, despite continued diplomatic efforts to avert futher fighting, is still preparing troops on the border with Gaza, seemingly to enter Rafah and the south of the Gaza Strip, where one million displaced people are estimated to be sheltering.
Yesterday, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a briefing âWe will continue to pursue Hamas everywhere in Gaza. We will continue doing everything in our power to bring back home our hostages. We will continue to fulfill our mission: free our hostages from Hamas and free Gaza from Hamas.â
Israelâs military has claimed that overnight it once again struck at Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon. Israel and anti-Israeli forces have been clashing almost non-stop over the UN-drawn blue line that separates Israel and Lebanon since 7 October.
In its statement, the IDF claimed:
IAF fighter jets struck Hezbollah terror targets in southern Lebanon. Among the targets struck were operational infrastructure in the area or Jabal Blat, as well as a number of Hezbollah military structures in the area of Marwahin.
The claims have not been independently verified.
A senior state department official has said that while in Riyadh, the US secretary of state Antony Blinken is expected to meet with senior Saudi leaders and hold a wider meeting with counterparts from five Arab states â Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
Opening summary
Welcome to our live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and wider Middle East crisis. Here is a rundown on the latest developments.
Joe Biden has again spoken with Benjamin Netanyahu and reiterated his âclear positionâ opposing Israeli plans to invade Gazaâs southernmost city of Rafah as pressure builds on Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal.
The US president also stressed to the Israeli prime minister that progress in the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza should be âenhancedâ, the White House said on Sunday.
The leadersâ call came ahead of the US secretary of state arriving in Saudi Arabia on Monday to try to restart the truce and hostage-release negotiations and discuss efforts to prevent a spiralling regional conflict. Antony Blinken will later continue on to Jordan and Israel on his latest visit to the region since Hamasâs 7 October attacks on Israel.
Hamas, meanwhile, said it had no âmajor issuesâ after reviewing Israelâs latest truce proposal, a senior Hamas official told Agence France-Presse. âThe atmosphere is positive unless there are new Israeli obstacles.â A delegation from the Islamist group is due to arrive in Cairo on Monday to deliver the groupâs response.
In other news:
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The Palestinian president said that only the US could stop Israel attacking Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering. Speaking on Sunday at the World Economic Forum summit in the Saudi capital, Mahmoud Abbas said he expected an assault on the Gaza city in the coming days. He added that only a âsmall strikeâ on Rafah would force the Palestinian population to flee Gaza, warning: âThe biggest catastrophe in the Palestinian peopleâs history would then happen.â
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A senior official from key intermediary Qatar urged Israel and Hamas to show âmore commitment and more seriousnessâ in the ceasefire negotiations.
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Israeli airstrikes on three houses in Rafah killed 13 people and wounded many others, medics said on Monday. Hamas media outlets put the death toll at 15. In Gaza City, in the stripâs north, Israeli planes struck two houses, killing and wounding several people, health officials said.
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At least 34,454 Palestinian people have been killed and 77,575 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said. An estimated 66 people were killed and 138 injured over the past 24 hours, the Hamas-run ministry said on Sunday.
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World Central Kitchen said it was resuming its operations in Gaza, while continuing to mourn its seven workers killed in an Israeli military attack. The food aid charity paused its operations in the territory after the 1 April strikes, which the military called a âgrave mistakeâ.
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The US military said it engaged five unmanned drones over the Red Sea which âpresented an imminent threat to US, coalition and merchant vessels in the regionâ. US central command did not say in its Sunday statement if the drones were destroyed.
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Franceâs foreign minister said Paris had been putting forward suggestions to âavoid war in Lebanonâ. âI will head to Beirut to meet political authorities to ⦠make proposals,â Stéphane Séjourné said during a visit to the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon (Unifil) headquarters.
It is Martin Belam in London here with you for the next few hours. You can reach me at martin.belam@theguardian.com.