Israel and Hamas agreed Monday to extend their delicate cease-fire for two days, opening the possibility for more hostage releases by the Palestinian militant group and the prospect of a longer halt to the deadliest Israeli war in decades.
Blinken s increased pressure on Israel over pauses signals shifting US strategy: Analysis go.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from go.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday he used his most recent face-to-face meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make the U.S. case for temporary pauses in the fighting, which he argued were critical to protecting civilian lives, allowing humanitarian aid to move into Gaza and boosting efforts to free the scores of hostages held in the enclave for nearly a month laying out the administration’s updated strategy for managing fallout from the conflict. "We believe that each of these efforts would be facilitated by humanitarian pauses, by arrangements on the ground that increased security for civilians and permit the more effective and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance," Blinken said during a press availability on Friday. "We see it as a way also and and very importantly of creating a better environment in which hostages can be released," Blinken added.