Israel-Hamas war: Arab leaders push US for Gaza ceasefire
What's the story
Arab leaders on Saturday publicly pressed United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza amid Israel's military aggression in the region.
In a rare open display of disagreement, Blinken pushed back on the suggestion, stating that a ceasefire would only let the Palestinian terror group Hamas regroup and attack Israel.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Blinken met with the Saudi, Qatari, Emirati, Jordanian, and Egyptian foreign ministers in Jordan's Amman on Saturday to discuss the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Jewish nation has intensified its attack on the Gaza Strip since Hamas's surprise October 7 attack on Israel, which claimed over 1,400 Israeli lives.
Israel's bombardment in Gaza is said to have killed around 9,000 Palestinians.
Details
Arab ministers condemned Israel's war tactics in Gaza
During the joint news conference between ministers from the Arab world and the US top diplomat, Arab ministers repeatedly called for the fighting to stop now and condemned Israel's war tactics.
Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukreh said Egypt "cannot accept" the Jewish nation's aggressive campaign against Hamas in Gaza as self-defense and labeled it a "collective punishment" of Palestinians.
Shoukreh's Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, said, "Right now, we have to make sure that this war stops."
What Next?
Ceasefire in Gaza would allow Hamas to regroup: Blinken
Blinken, on the other hand, maintained the US view that a ceasefire would harm Israel's right and obligation to defend its people after Hamas's devastating onslaught on October 7.
However, the top US diplomat did convey America's support for "humanitarian pauses" in Israel's operations to allow the flow of aid and increased transit of foreign nationals out of Gaza and into Egypt.
Twitter Post
Check out Blinken's comments here
"A ceasefire now will simply leave Hamas in place. They will regroup and repeat what it did on October 7."
— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 4, 2023
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is speaking at a news conference in Jordan. He calls for for a "humanitarian pause" in the conflict.https://t.co/yJBIrQ9UKU
📺Sky 501 pic.twitter.com/2RxWPgBITI
Insights
Over 30 killed in Israeli refugee camp bombing in Gaza
Meanwhile, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claimed that more than 30 people lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in the region on Saturday.
"More than 30 (dead) arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the massacre committed by the occupation in Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip," Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra said in an official release.
Facts
15 dead in Israeli airstrikes on ambulance in Gaza
On Friday, at least 15 people died and more than 60 others suffered injuries in an Israeli airstrike on an ambulance allegedly being used to evacuate the wounded from besieged northern Gaza.
According to Reuters, the Gaza Health Ministry revealed that the ambulance was part of a convoy traveling to the Rafah Crossing. It also alleged that Israel had targeted the convoy of ambulances in more than one location.