Live Updates: Blinken Heads to Bahrain, Home to US Navy's 5th Fleet, in Last-Minute Addition to Tour
Live Updates: Blinken Heads to Bahrain, Home to US Navy's 5th Fleet, in Last-Minute Addition to Tour
Sputnik Africa
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - In November, Qatar helped mediate a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and an exchange of prisoners and hostages, as... 10.01.2024, Sputnik Africa
antony blinken, united states (us), qatar , israel, hamas, israeli-palestinian conflict, palestine, international, ceasefire, новый онлайн для белой редактуры
antony blinken, united states (us), qatar , israel, hamas, israeli-palestinian conflict, palestine, international, ceasefire, новый онлайн для белой редактуры
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - In November, Qatar helped mediate a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and an exchange of prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The ceasefire was extended several times but expired on December 1.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that he believes the Palestinian movement Hamas will engage in negotiations to secure the release of hostages from Gaza, despite tensions over the targeted killing of the group’s leaders.
"As you know, we succeeded before in the midst of conflict and getting more than 100 hostages out," Blinken said in an interview with the US media. "It’s my belief that they [Hamas] can and will engage on this."
The US is focused on resuming talks alongside Qatar and Egypt, Blinken said. However, talks with Hamas have reportedly been strained by a suspected Israeli strike in Lebanon last week, which killed Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri.
Hamas abducted more than 200 people as part of its October 7 surprise attack on Israel.
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17:42 10.01.2024
PRCS Says 4 Employees Killed in IDF Shelling of Ambulance in Gaza Strip
Four workers of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) have been killed after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shelled an ambulance in the Gaza Strip, the PRCS said on Wednesday.
"Four members of the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance crews martyred due to the targeting by the occupation [Israel] of an ambulance vehicle on Salah al-Din Street at the entrance of Deir al-Balah in the middle of the Gaza Strip," the PRCS wrote on X.
17:41 10.01.2024
UNSC Has Responsibility to 'Respond With Urgency' to Threats in Red Sea - Malta Official
The UN Security Council has a responsibility to "respond with urgency" to threats, including to maritime threats in the Red Sea, Maltese mission to the United Nations spokesperson Adam Kuymizakis told Sputnik on Wednesday.
"The Security Council has a responsibility to respond with urgency to threats to international peace and security. Malta, as one of the major maritime flag states in the world and with its rich maritime history, is a staunch advocate of freedom and security of navigation," Kuymizakis said.
The deteriorating maritime security situation in the Red Sea is one such threat to freedom of navigation and Malta hopes the UN Security Council will react accordingly, Kuymizakis added.
13:57 10.01.2024
Blinken Heads to Bahrain, Home to US Navy's 5th Fleet, in Last-Minute Addition to Tour
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make a surprise visit to Bahrain on Wednesday as part of his Middle East tour after Houthis launched a complex attack with drones and missiles in the Red Sea, according to a public schedule released by the State Department.
Bahrain is the home base of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.
On Tuesday, the United States and its allies shot down a barrage of drones and missiles fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen into the southern Red Sea where commercial vessels were transiting, the US Central Command said.
In Manama, Secretary Blinken will meet with Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, according to the schedule.
13:54 10.01.2024
Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Attack US Ship in Red Sea, Movement's Spokesman Says
Senior White House Official Holds Secret Talks With Qatar on Hostages in Gaza - Reports
US Coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk secretly met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and discussed efforts to release hostages held in the Gaza Strip and regional tensions, the Axios news website reported on Wednesday.
The meeting took place in Doha on Tuesday, but both the White House and the Qatari government kept the meeting under wraps and did not issue its readout.
Negotiations to secure the release of hostages from Gaza resumed earlier this week after Palestinian movement Hamas halted them over the killing of its official Saleh al-Arouri in a suspected Israeli strike in Lebanon on January 2, Axios reported.
08:31 10.01.2024
MSF Says Shell That Hit Its Shelter in Gaza 'Appears to Be Similar' to Those Used by IDF
The shell that had hit a shelter of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which translates as Doctors Without Borders, is believed to have been fired by a tank used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the organization said.
MSF said on Monday that its shelter in the southern Gaza Strip, housing over 100 staff and their families, had come under fire. Four people had been injured in the incident, including a 5-year-old daughter of an MSF staff, the organization then said and later confirmed the death of the girl.
"Prior to the incident, MSF notified Israeli forces that the shelter near Gaza European Hospital was housing MSF staff and their families. Furthermore, no evacuation orders were issued before the strike. While MSF is not able to confirm the origin of the shell, it appears to be similar to those used by Israeli tanks. MSF has contacted Israeli authorities and is seeking further explanation," MSF said in a statement on the website.
The organization also condemned the attack on its shelter "in the strongest possible terms."
08:30 10.01.2024
US Does Not Support Cease-Fire in Gaza at This Time, White House Says
The United States does not support a ceasefire in Gaza at this time, White House Coordinator for Strategic Coordinations John Kirby said.
"We do not support a ceasefire at this time," said Kirby during a press briefing.
08:30 10.01.2024
Senior Hezbollah Commander in Southern Lebanon Killed in Israeli Strike: Reports
A senior commander of Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah responsible for dozens of drone attacks across northern Israel in recent months has been killed in southern Lebanon as a result of an Israeli airstrike, The Times of Israel newspaper reported.
The individual killed was the commander of Hezbollah's aerial forces in southern Lebanon, Ali Hussein Barji. He was reportedly struck while driving in the town of Kherbet Selem just before the funeral of another senior Hezbollah commander, Wissam al-Tawil.
Later in the day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Barji's death.
"Today (Tuesday), an IAF aircraft eliminated Ali Hussein Barji, the Commander of the Southern Lebanon Region of Hezbollah's Aerial Unit. Ali led dozens of terror activities against Israel using explosive UAVs and surveillance UAVs against Israel and IDF soldiers. Ali also led the attack against the headquarters of the IDF Northern Command earlier today," the IDF said in a statement.
08:25 10.01.2024
Blinken Says Regional Countries Willing to Invest in Gaza's Post-Conflict Recovery
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that numerous countries in the region are ready to make substantial investments in the reconstruction and security of the Gaza Strip once the ongoing conflict concludes.
"Many countries in the region are really prepared to invest in a number of ways...when the conflict in Gaza is over, in its reconstruction and in its security," Blinken said during a press conference in Israel.
The secretary of state emphasized it would be essential for those countries willing to help to have a clear pathway to the realization of Palestinian political rights and a Palestinian state.
"And I think the view that they've expressed is that it's critical to ending, once and for all, [the] cycle of violence," Blinken said.
08:24 10.01.2024
UK Foreign Secretary Concerned Israel May Have Violated International Law in Gaza
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said he was concerned that Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip might be in breach of international humanitarian law.
"If you are asking me am I worried that Israel has taken action that might be in breach of international law because this particular premises has been bombed or whatever - yes, of course I am worried about it," Cameron said at a Foreign Affairs Committee session in the UK parliament.
The top UK diplomat added that according to legal advice given to him by foreign affairs lawyers, Israel follows international law, although there was a "question mark" in many cases.
08:23 10.01.2024
Blinken Says Genocide Case Against Israel in International Criminal Court 'Meritless'
South Africa's case of genocide presented against Israel in the International Court of Justice over the war in Gaza is "meritless," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
"We believe the submission against Israel to the International Court of Justice distracts the world from all of these important efforts. And moreover, the charge of genocide is meritless," Blinken said during a press conference.
08:22 10.01.2024
Blinken Says Will Discuss With Palestinian President Issues on Improving Governance
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that he will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas later this week to raise issues about its governance and efforts to improve it.
"The Palestinian Authority also has a responsibility to reform itself, to improve its governance - issues I plan to raise with President Abbas, among others, when we meet tomorrow," Blinken said during a press conference in Israel.
Blinken also told reporters that there's still an interest to pursue efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, but an end to the Gaza conflict and the formation of a Palestinian state will now be on the negotiating table.
08:21 10.01.2024
US Rejects Any Proposals of Resettlement of Palestinians Outside Gaza, Blinken Says
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Washington opposes any proposals of resettlement of Palestinians beyond the Gaza Strip.
"The United States unequivocally rejects any proposals, advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza, and the Prime Minister reaffirmed to me today that this is not the policy of Israel's government," Blinken said during the press conference in Tel Aviv.
08:21 10.01.2024
Infectious Diseases Surge in Gaza With 15 Operational Hospitals Left: WHO Representative
Only 15 hospitals are now operational in the Gaza Strip, while cases of infectious diseases are on the rise, including diarrhea incidence climbing to 81,000, Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said.
"[There are] about 15 hospitals which are partially ... functioning: nine in the south and six in the north of which two — barely. And you talk about three field hospitals, which are functional. As from the primary health care centers only 19 from the 72 are partly functional and that's all in the south," Peeperkorn told a briefing.
Speaking about the prevalence of infectious diseases, the WHO official said that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the WHO are in the process of assessing the number of cases.
08:20 10.01.2024
Only Ceasefire Can Eliminate Spillover Effect of Gaza War Into Region, Envoy Says
Ceasefire is the only solution to prevent the Gaza war from a spillover effect into the region, the Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Geng Shuang said.
"Only a ceasefire in Gaza can fundamentally eliminate the spillover effects of the conflict and prevent the wider Middle East from being dragged into a war," Shuang told the members in the General Assembly hall during a meeting on Gaza.
Upholding the two state solution requires an immediate ceasefire, he added.
