US State Secretary Blinken lands in Israel, assures 'significant' support to Gaza

US State Secretary Antony Blinken vowed May 25, to “rally international support” to aid Gaza following the devastating 11-day war while also keeping any assistance out of Hamas’ reach. The top US official made the remarks standing next to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem as he kicked off his Middle Eastern Diplomatic Mission. Despite being Israel’s longest-standing ally and promising to replenish the country’s Iron Dome defence system, Washington, last week clarified that it would equally aid the Gaza Strip to rebuild itself.

“We know that to prevent a return to violence, we have to use the space created to address a larger set of underlying issues and challenges. And that begins with tackling the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and starting to rebuild,” Blinken told reporters.

'Will make sure Hamas doesn't benefit' 

Blinken, who landed in Israel earlier on Tuesday, is not scheduled to meet Hamas, a fundamentalist Islamist region designated as “terrorists” by both the US and Israel. Meanwhile, he ascertained that his country will “work to rally international support “for Gaza’s recovery while also making its own "significant contributions". However, he added that the US would work with its partners “to ensure that Hamas does not benefit from the reconstruction assistance.”

“We believe that Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely, to enjoy equal measures of freedom, opportunity and democracy, to be treated with dignity,” he said.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas-led militants in the Gaza Strip has held since last week. At about 2:00 am (Israel Daylight Time) on May 21, both the warring parties announced a ceasefire, ending the 11-day war that led to over 250 deaths, mostly Palestinians. The truce witnessed a brief weak moment after as a scuffle erupted between Palestinians and Israeli Security Forces at the contested Al-Aqsa complex, however, the overall situation remained stable.  

The Gaza Strip, most of which has been reduced to rubbles by the Israeli airstrikes, saw Palestinians scrounging their belongings in the heaps of brick and mortar. On the other hand, economists touted that the fighting could curb Israel's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Israel and Hamas have fought four wars in less than a decade. 

Image: AP