US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has returned to the Middle East for a second time since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, as the Biden administration continues to advocate for a humanitarian pause to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, to allow fuel and life-saving aid to enter the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Israel has as yet rebuffed the US calls for a pause in fighting. Shortly after Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet Friday, Netanyahu very publicly rejected the US proposal, saying he would not allow for a ceasefire or a pause until hostages held by Hamas are released.
The top US diplomat continued his tour of the Middle East Sunday, as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate – and as settler violence in the West Bank has increased. Blinken met with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas Sunday, in his first visit to Ramallah since the war began.
Here are the latest developments:
- Blinken tour: The diplomat has met with foreign ministers from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar and Cyprus since returning to the Middle East. Blinken met with PA President Abbas Sunday to discuss escalating settler violence in the West Bank. At a summit Saturday in Amman, Jordan, Blinken said he was “deeply concerned about escalating extremist violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank,” calling it “a serious problem that’s only worsened since the conflict.” He also spoke about the need to focus on “the day of” and “the day after” Israel’s offensive in Gaza ends, as attention turns towards rebuilding the enclave and its future governance, which Blinken said “an effective and revitalized” PA should be involved in.
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- Deadly blast in refugee camp: Dozens were killed and many more injured in a explosion at the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip late Saturday night, according to hospital officials. The explosion killed 52 people, Mohammad al Hajj, the director of communications at the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ hospital in Deir Al-Balah, told CNN. He said that the blast was the result of an Israeli airstrike, while the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it is looking into the circumstances around the explosion. Muhammed Alaloul, a journalist in Gaza, told CNN he lost four children and three siblings in the explosion. “My house was completely destroyed… It was full of children, and now, there are still people trapped in the debris in the area, that we can’t reach,” Alaloul said.
- Nuclear threat: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suspended a far-right cabinet minister from participating in government meetings, after the minister appeared to suggest that dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza was “one way” to deal with the crisis. Heritage minister Amichay Eliyahu was asked early Sunday on Radio Kol Berama, a religious radio station, if a nuclear weapon should be used in Gaza, to which Eliyahu answered “this is one way.” He later said he did not mean his answer to be taken literally. Eliyahu is part of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, led by Israel’s minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir. Neither he nor Ben Gvir is a member of the war cabinet.
- Hostage rally: Hundreds of family members of hostages taken by Hamas in the October 7 attack held a rally in front of the Kirya – the government’s military headquarters – in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, “to demand greater actions by the government to release the hostages.” More than 200 hostages are still being held in Gaza after Hamas’ attacks nearly a month ago. In a statement released ahead of the event, organizers said “this evening is not an anti-government protest. This is a rally of families and community that would like to see more done to release the hostages.”
- Hospital blast: Large explosions occurred in the vicinity of the Al-Quds hospital, close to Gaza City, early Sunday, the Palestine Red Cross Society (PRCS) said. The PRCS said “a building located approximately 50 meters away from Al-Quds hospital and the Association headquarters in Tal Al-Hawa area has been targeted by the IDF.” It said the building had been destroyed and that a number of people had been killed in the blast. Earlier Sunday, the IDF told civilians to move to the south of Gaza from Gaza City. It has frequently accused Hamas of using civilian infrastructure such as hospitals for military operations, which Israel says makes them a legitimate target.
- Death toll: More than 9,700 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since October 7, according to Dr. Mai Al-Kaila, the Palestinian Minister of Health in Ramallah, using data drawn from medical sources in the Hamas-controlled enclave. The figure included 4,800 children, Al-Kaila said. Guaranteeing secure routes for delivering essential supplies like medical aid, drugs, and fuel to hospitals was now critical, Al-Kaila said, amid Israel's ongoing siege of Gaza. The updated figures came after the US special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues, David Satterfield, said between 800,000 and a million people had fled from the north of the enclave to south of the Wadi Gaza
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