US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Israel to seize the opportunities presented by the killing of Hamas leader Yehya al-Sinwar.
In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, the top US diplomat “underscored the need to capitalize on Israel’s successful action to bring Yehya al-Sinwar to justice by securing the release of all hostages and ending the conflict in Gaza in a way that provides lasting security for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” Blinken’s spokesman said on Tuesday.
“He discussed the importance of charting a new path forward in the post-conflict period that allows Palestinians to rebuild their lives and provides governance, security, and reconstruction for Gaza,” the spokesman added.
Netanyahu’s office described the meeting as “friendly and productive.”
“The Prime Minister emphasized that the elimination of Hamas leader Yehya al-Sinwar is likely to have a positive influence on the return of the hostages, the achieving of all the objectives of the war and the day after the war,” it added.
The situation in Lebanon and the threat posed by Iran to Israel were also discussed.
According to his spokesman, Blinken called on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid through to the suffering civilian population in the sealed-off Gaza Strip. Netanyahu’s office did not address this in its account of the conversation.
The Israeli military authority responsible for Palestinian affairs, COGAT, said that in the last eight days, 237 trucks carrying aid entered the northern Gaza Strip alone, which is particularly affected by shortages. Aid organizations say that this is still not enough.
