Reuters. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Israel on Wednesday (May 1) that progress on improving humanitarian access to Gaza was real but, given the immense need in the Palestinian enclave, it needed to be accelerated.
Blinken, who earlier met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told reporters that Israel has made important compromises over a proposal for a deal that would see hostages released in exchange for a ceasefire, but it was up to Hamas to take that deal.
Speaking after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Blinken also said he has still not seen a plan for Israel's planned offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah that would protect civilians sheltering there, repeating a warning that Washington could not support such an assault.
"Our position is clear. It hasn't changed. It won't change. We cannot will not support a major military operation in Rafah, absent an effective plan to make sure that civilians are not harmed. And no, we've not seen such a plan," he said.
Blinken and Netanyahu met in Jerusalem for two-and-a-half hours, after which Israel repeated that the Rafah operation would go ahead despite the U.S. position and a stark United Nations warning that an operation would lead to "tragedy".
