US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Wednesday it is "time to end the war" in Gaza.
He noted that Israel has taken action on 12 of the 15 steps outlined in a letter from Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J Austin a month ago, which called for measures to address the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “The effect has been that of the 15 steps that we urged action on, Israel has taken action either in implementing or being in the process of implementing 12 of the 15 steps."
Blinken specified three key actions that Israel still needs to fully address: allowing displaced civilians to return to their homes, restoring commercial trucking, and extending humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow aid to reach those in need. “And again, they have to be fully implemented, and they have to be sustained,” he added,” he added.
“Even with all of these steps, the situation is so difficult and so dramatic that to fully redress it, to fully answer the needs of people, the best way to do that is to end the war,” Blinken said.
He suggested that Israel “by the standards it set itself, has accomplished the goals that it set for itself, (and) the strategic goals it set for itself,” adding: “So this should be a time to end the war.”
Blinken said that Israeli hostages should be safely returned home and a clear plan should be devised for Israel to withdraw from Gaza without allowing Hamas to return to administer in the enclave.
“But short of ending the war, which we believe now is the time to move to that, we have to see these humanitarian steps fully implemented, sustained, and as I said, particularly with regard to pauses having more extensive pauses,” he said.
Since the beginning of Israel’s offensive on Gaza on October 7, 2023, the violence has led to more than 43,700 casualties, with widespread destruction making much of the region unlivable. Israel currently faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.
