Antony Blinken: Israel’s Rafah offensive would cause destruction ‘beyond what is acceptable’ / Hamas, the only obstacle to a ceasefire in Gaza

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas remains “the only obstacle between the people of Gaza and a cessation of hostilities” with Israel, said Antony Blinken, quoted by France Presse on Friday. On the other hand, the US Secretary of State said that an Israeli offensive in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, would cause destruction “beyond what is acceptable”.

“We’re waiting to see if they can really say ‘Yes’ to a cessation of hostilities and the release of the hostages,” Blinken said at the McCain Institute’s Sedona Forum in Arizona.

“The reality right now is that the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas,” he added.

Israel and mediating countries are still awaiting a response from the Islamist movement to a proposed 40-day truce, associated with the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

A delegation will travel to Cairo on Saturday to continue the talks.

Pointing out that Hamas militants “claim to represent” the Palestinian people, Blinken said that “if this is true, acceptance of a ceasefire should be self-evident.”

An offensive in Rahaf would be “beyond what is acceptable”

The US secretary of state also said an Israeli attack on Rafah, the city in the southern Gaza Strip where more than a million Palestinians have fled the war, would cause damage “beyond what is acceptable”.

According to Blinken, Israel has not presented any plan to protect civilians during this possible attack.

“In the absence of such a plan, we cannot sustain a large-scale military operation in Rafah because the destruction it would cause would be beyond what is acceptable,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday reaffirmed his intention to launch an offensive in Rafah “with or without a ceasefire agreement”.

“We will do whatever it takes to defeat and defeat our enemy, including at Rafah,” he declared.

Saudi Arabia may begin normalizing relations with Israel

Blinken, who visited Saudi Arabia on Monday, also said the kingdom’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, could initiate talks on a possible normalization of relations with Israel.

“He made it clear that he wants to do something about normalization and that he would like to do it as quickly as possible,” but only if the conditions are met, the US secretary of state assured.

Riyadh wants to implement a process leading to the creation of a Palestinian state, a scenario rejected by the Israeli prime minister and his far-right allies.