Gaza in 'dire' situation, Blinken claims US 'working intensely'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
27 Jul 2024 13:16

Blinken made these comments in response to Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who stated that there was an urgent need for enduring peace.

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP)

The United States was "working intensely every single day" to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and establish a path to ensure long-term peace and security, claimed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Laos.

He made these comments in response to Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who stated that there was an urgent need for enduring peace.

"We cannot continue closing our eyes to see the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza," she said at the meeting.

Blinken made the same comments back in May, by saying that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was "dire" as "Israel" furthers its assault in the Strip, amid failed US efforts to facilitate aid.

He commented one day after USAID administrator Samantha Power cited relief workers as saying that "conditions are worse now than ever before" in Gaza.

Nothing remains changed and the death toll continues to rise.

This comes as CIA Director William Burns is scheduled to meet with officials from "Israel," Qatar, and Egypt in Italy's Rome to finalize the proposed ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement for Gaza, Axios reported on Friday, citing US and Israeli officials.

On Sunday, Burns will sit down with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, Mossad Director David Barnea, and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, the news site said.

The meeting will focus on devising a strategy to advance the negotiations for a ceasefire and exchange deal, the report mentioned, noting however that there will be no discussions on the remaining unresolved issues.

"[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu wants a deal that is impossible to get. At the moment, he isn't willing to move and therefore we might be headed for a crisis in the negotiations rather than a deal," an Israeli official said.

On Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris expressed to Netanyahu her "serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians" during their meeting.

"I made clear my serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation there with over 2 million people facing high levels of food insecurity and half a million people facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity," she indicated.

Harris expressed that "the images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time. We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent."

But a report by The New York Times revealed on Thursday that the United States has sent "Israel" a substantial quantity of weaponry since October 7, 2023.

According to the report, the shipments include over 20,000 unguided bombs, approximately 2,600 guided bombs, and 3,000 precision missiles. The US has also provided aircraft, ammunition, and air defense systems.

Many of these transfers were kept secret or remained partially confidential, the report highlighted, as the Biden administration continues to publicly warn "Israel" against the rising civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip.