Blinken before trip to Turkey: Ceasefire in Gaza would allow Hamas to regroup

(Patria) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that an Israeli ceasefire in the Gaza Strip would allow Hamas to regroup and carry out new attacks, the BBC reported. He added that Israel must take "all possible measures" to prevent civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip.

Blinken said this on Saturday in Jordan after talks with Arab leaders, who are seeking an immediate cessation of hostilities. They accused Israel of committing war crimes.

"We do not accept that this is self-defense," said Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at a press conference with Blinken after talks, which also included Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.

Safadi described the conflict as a "furious war that kills civilians, destroys their homes, their
hospitals, their schools, their mosques and churches" and said that "it cannot be justified under any pretext and will not bring Israel security, it will not bring peace to the region".

Blinken, who has called for humanitarian pauses in fighting instead of a ceasefire, said that while the United States disagrees with Arab leaders on some means of achieving lasting peace in the region, their goal is the same.

"We all understand that we not only have an interest, but a responsibility to do everything we can to chart a better path forward together," he said.

Blinken arrived in Jordan a day after visiting Israel to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said there would be no humanitarian pause until all Israeli hostages were released.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have focused their offensive on the northern part of Gaza, after warning civilians to leave the area. As many as 400,000 civilians are still in the area, according to US Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Affairs David Satterfield. The IDF is also carrying out attacks in the south, and the United Nations has warned that no part of Gaza is safe.

Blinken spoke on Saturday about the need to dramatically increase the amount of aid reaching the Gaza Strip via the Egyptian Rafah crossing. Only limited deliveries are currently arriving, weeks after Israel announced a siege, cutting off supplies of electricity, food, and water.

The US Secretary of State also met with Lebanese interim Prime Minister Najib
Mikati to discuss the violence along Lebanon's southern border with Israel, where there have been frequent clashes between members of the Shiite group Hezbollah and the Israeli army.

Blinken will travel to Turkey today for two days to speak with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the conflict. The visit comes after Ankara recalled its ambassador to Israel and severed contact with Netanyahu in protest against the bloodshed.