Blinken: The time has come to end the war in Gaza

2024-11-13 18:48:34, Kosova & Bota CNA

Palestinian health officials say Israeli airstrikes killed at least 46 people in the Gaza Strip, while in Lebanon, Israeli planes bombed the suburbs of Beirut, killing 33.

These attacks were made while the United States said that it will not reduce military aid to Israel even after the evaluation of international organizations that Israel has not met the American demands for the introduction of humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Over the past 24 hours, Israeli airstrikes have killed 46 people in the Gaza Strip, including 11 in a makeshift cafeteria in the so-called humanitarian zone, according to Palestinian doctors.

At the same time, Israeli planes bombed the suburbs of Beirut and other places, killing 33 people. Among the victims in Gaza and Lebanon were women and children, according to health workers.

Rockets were also fired into Israel from Lebanon, killing two people at a construction warehouse in northern Israel. A Hezbollah drone also hit a kindergarten in Haifa, but the children were inside the bomb shelter.

The attacks came just hours after Israeli President Isaac Herzog met US President Joe Biden at the White House and while US President-elect Donald Trump has held frequent phone conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week.

"My commitment to Israel is unwavering. We have a deep friendship and I want to thank you for being here..." , declared President Biden.

President Herzog, a ceremonial figure in Israel, blamed Iran for conflicts in the Middle East.

"First we have to return the hostages home. It all starts in Tehran, there is the evil empire. "Tehran and its affiliated groups are doing everything in their power to undermine stability, security and peace, calling for the destruction of the state of Israel and targeting the production of nuclear weapons ," he declared.

Afterwards, President Herzog said his discussions with President Biden were "open and honest." A day earlier he congratulated President-elect Trump, calling him a "champion of peace" and a "great friend of Israel" at a gathering of Jewish organizations in Washington.

The US State Department said on Tuesday that Israel had made progress in allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and that Washington would drop its threat to limit military aid.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday during his visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels that the time has come for Israel to end the war in Gaza.

"In addition to ending the war, which we believe the time has come, we must also see that humanitarian actions are fully implemented continuously. There should be longer humanitarian pauses. Israel must fulfill its responsibilities. We will follow up on this issue every day" , he declared.

Humanitarian aid organizations say that the situation in Gaza is very serious. Rand Corporation researcher Rapahel Cohen, who has just returned from the border between Israel and Gaza, told VOA that the whole situation could change once Mr. Trump takes office.

"Trump has made it clear that he wants this war to end before he takes office. This is purported to be the message he communicated to Prime Minister Netanyahu. At the same time, President Trump, more than President Biden, is more inclined to follow a more aggressive course, especially with Iran ," he said.

About 43,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war in Gaza, according to Palestinian authorities who do not distinguish between civilians and militants, but who say more than half of the dead are women and children./ VOA