2023-11-06 17:47:33
The head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, stated this Monday that Washington is working “very actively” to substantially expand the amount of aid that reaches Palestinian civilians in Gaza who are under siege by the Israeli army.
Blinken had a two-and-a-half-hour meeting in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan focused on easing the humanitarian cost of the war between Israel and Hamas.
“We are working, as I have already said, very actively to get more humanitarian aid to Gaza and we have very concrete ways to do it,” Blinken told reporters before traveling to Japan.
You may be interested in: Humanitarian crisis increases in Gaza after hospital bombing; Egypt asks Israel to let in aid
“I think that in the coming days we are going to see that the arrival of aid may increase significantly,” he indicated.
Blinken is in Turkey as part of a tour of the Middle East, which included talks with his counterparts from several Arab countries in Jordan and a trip to the West Bank, where he met with the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas.
The head of US diplomacy pointed out that a “pause” in the fighting “can also help” so that humanitarian assistance reaches more civilians.
“We know the deep concern here (in Turkey) about the terrible toll of victims” in Gaza, Blinken said.
“It is a concern that we share and for which we work every day. We discussed with the Israelis what measures they can take to minimize civilian casualties,” Blinken stated.
The Turkish Foreign Minister told Blinken that “it is necessary to prevent Israel from targeting civilians and displacing people in Gaza and said that it is necessary to declare an immediate ceasefire,” reported a Turkish diplomatic source.
Israel has been on an incessant offensive in the Gaza Strip since Hamas militants attacked its territory on October 7, leaving nearly 1,400 dead, according to Israeli authorities. These Israeli bombings and ground operations have caused almost 10,000 deaths, according to Hamas, which has ruled this Palestinian territory since 2007.
#working #actively #aid #Gaza #Antony #Blinken