US and Arab countries disagree on ceasefire in Gaza

Gaza Ministry: Dozens killed in airstrike on refugee camp

At least 30 people were killed and about a hundred others injured in an Israeli airstrike on the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday evening. The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported this, writes the AFP news agency.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA reports 51 fatalities, Reuters writes. Both messages could not be independently verified. According to the ministry, a majority of the victims were women and children.

A journalist from Turkey’s Anadolu Agency told AFP that his house partially collapsed when an airstrike hit his neighbors’ house in the al-Maghazi camp. Two of his children, aged 13 and 4, were killed. His wife, mother and two other children were injured, Muhammad Alaloul told AFP.

Israel says it is targeting Hamas, not civilians, in its attacks on the Gaza Strip, accusing Hamas of using residents as human shields.

US and Arab countries disagree on ceasefire in Gaza

The United States and Arab countries failed to reach an agreement on Saturday on the need for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. This became apparent after discussions between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and counterparts from five Arab countries in the Jordanian capital Amman, international news agencies write.

According to Blinken, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas would allow Hamas to regroup and carry out new attacks similar to those of October 7. He said this during a press conference in Amman with his Jordanian and Egyptian counterparts Ayman Safadi and Sameh Shoukry.

In a rare show of disagreement, they called on Blinken during the press conference to convince Israel to agree to a ceasefire. According to Safadi, “the entire region is sinking in a sea of ​​hatred that will define generations to come.”

Blinken met his Arab counterparts a day after talks in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As far as Netanyahu is concerned, there can be no temporary ceasefire until all Israeli hostages held by Hamas are released.

The US minister reiterated his support for “humanitarian pauses” to allow aid to people in the occupied Gaza Strip. In the United States, President Joe Biden said progress is being made in efforts to convince Israel to agree to such a humanitarian pause. Asked whether progress was being made, Biden replied “yes” on Saturday in his home state of Delaware.

Blinken continues his visit to the Middle East on Sunday, his second to the region since the October 7 attacks, with a visit to Turkey.

Welcome to this blog

This blog will follow NRC the situation in Israel and the Gaza Strip and related developments.

Read herethe previous blog back.