Washington, 10 August 2024 (TDI): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in a phone call that the escalation of tensions in the Middle East was “in no party’s interest” while also emphasizing for a Gaza ceasefire, the State Department said.
There has been an increased risk of escalation into a broader war in the region after recent killings of Palestinian group Hamas’ leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut drew threats of Iran’s retaliation against Israel.
As a result, many fear a widening of Israel’s war in Gaza that has already martyred tens of thousands Palestinians and caused a humanitarian crisis, following Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
Blinken reaffirmed the US ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and discussed how escalation is in no party’s interest, the State Department said in a statement.
The secretary stressed the urgent need to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza that could release hostages held in the enclave and create the conditions for broader regional stability, the statement added.
Lloyd Austin, Gallant Discuss Middle East Situation
A day earlier, Gallant spoke to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about the situation in Middle East.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking nearly 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
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The Gaza health ministry said that since then Israel’s military assault on the Hamas-governed enclave has killed about 40,000 Palestinians while also displacing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, causing a hunger crisis and resulting in a genocide accusations that Israel denies.
President Joe Biden presented a three-phase ceasefire proposal in an address on May 31. Washington and regional mediators have since tried arranging the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages agreement but have consistently run into obstacles.
