Top US diplomat Antony Blinken urged Hamas to accept a truce in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to send troops into its far southern city of Rafah.
Washington has heightened pressure on all sides to reach a ceasefire — a message pushed by Blinken, who was on his seventh regional tour since the Gaza war broke out in October.
Netanyahu’s comments came as Hamas was weighing the latest plan for a truce proposed in Cairo talks with US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators. A truce is “the most effective way to relieve the suffering” of civilians in Gaza, he told reporters near Amman. In northern Gaza’s Beit Lahia, across from Erez crossing, 24-year-old farmer Yussef Abu Rabih was replanting plots he said had been “completely destroyed” by the fighting.
Washington has strongly backed its ally Israel but also pressured it to refrain from a ground invasion of Rafah, which is packed with displaced civilians.
Nigeria Latest News, Nigeria Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Sons of Hamas leader killed in Gaza as truce talks drag onThe leader of Hamas said on Wednesday that Israel had killed three of his sons in an air strike in Gaza as the war in the Palestinian territory raged despite ongoing truce negotiations in Cairo.
Read more »
Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says war death toll at 32,845The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday that at least 32,845 people have been killed in the territory during the war between Israel and Palestinian militants.
Read more »
Hamas: Biden issues stern ‘threat’ over civilian safety in GazaPresident Joe Biden has threatened to condition support for Israel's offensive in Gaza on it taking concrete steps to protect aid workers and civilians. According to Reuters, Biden is seeking for the first time to leverage US aid to influence Israeli military behaviour.
Read more »
Gaza: ‘Israeli airstrike killed three of my sons’ – Hamas leader HaniyehHamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has confirmed three of his sons were killed Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh accused Israel of acting in “the spirit of revenge and murder.
Read more »
Hamas Releases Video Of Israeli-American Hostage Held In GazaPalestinian militant group Hamas released on Wednesday a video of an Israeli-American man held hostage in Gaza and seen alive in the footage.
Read more »
Hamas releases video of Israeli-American hostage held in GazaPalestinian militant group Hamas released on Wednesday a video of an Israeli-American man held hostage in Gaza and seen alive in the footage.
Read more »