US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint press conference with Egypt's foreign minister. Courtesy: Khaled Desouki
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that a major military operation by Israel in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah would be "a mistake," adding that a truce agreement was "possible."
Blinken said "gaps are narrowing" in ongoing ceasefire and hostage release talks in Qatar, where the head of Israel's spy agency was due to meet his American and Egyptian counterparts on Friday.
"It's difficult to get there, but I believe it is still possible," Blinken said in a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo.
Blinken also said there is "a better way to deal with the ongoing threat posed by Hamas" than Israel's plans for a major military operation in Rafah.
Global concern has surged over a looming Israeli ground offensive on Rafah, where 1.5 million mostly displaced Palestinians are sheltering, hemmed in by the Egyptian border.
He said the ground offensive would be "unnecessary" and that "there is no place for the civilians amassed in Rafah to get out of harm's way."
There is a false choice involved here ... Hamas can be effectively dealt with without a major ground operation in Rafah," Blinken continued.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry echoed the call for a "ceasefire and release of hostages and detainees" and an urgent "intensifying of aid operations in light of an unprecedented situation."
The United Nations has repeatedly warned of imminent famine facing 2.4 million people in the besieged Palestinian territory, where over five months of war have largely destroyed civilian infrastructure and left most of the population displaced.
The bloodiest-ever Gaza war broke out on October 7 after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, resulting in about 1,160 deaths, according to a tally of official figures.
Militants also seized about 250 hostages, of whom Israel believes 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 who are presumed dead.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Hamas-ruled Gaza has killed nearly 32,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the territory's health ministry.
"Israel must not carry out any military operation in Rafah, to avoid even more civilian victims and displacement," Shoukry said, reiterating Cairo's previous warnings against the forced displacement of Palestinians.
Blinken and Shoukry had earlier on Thursday held meetings with government ministers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, as well as a representative of the Palestinian Authority, which governs the occupied West Bank.
In a joint statement, the Arab ministers called for "a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire" and the "opening of all crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip."
Blinken also confirmed the United States had circulated a draft UN resolution calling for an "immediate" ceasefire in Gaza after months of Security Council vetoes objecting to the phrasing.
The resolution stressed "the need for an immediate and durable ceasefire" to protect civilians and allow aid into the territory.
Blinken stressed any immediate truce must be linked to the release of hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attack.
Source: AFP
布林肯對拉法的進攻發出警告，並表示達成停戰協議很困難，但有可能
美國國務卿安東尼·布林肯週四表示，以色列在加薩最南端城市拉法的重大軍事行動將是“一個錯誤”，並補充說達成停戰協議是“可能的”。
布林肯表示，卡達正在進行的停火和人質釋放談判“分歧正在縮小”，以色列間諜機構負責人將於週五與美國和埃及同行會面。
布林肯在開羅與埃及外長舉行的聯合新聞發布會上表示： “實現這一目標很困難，但我相信仍然有可能。”
布林肯也表示，與以色列在拉法發動重大軍事行動的計畫相比，「有更好的方法來應對哈馬斯構成的持續威脅」。
全球對以色列即將對拉法發動地面攻擊的擔憂激增。拉法被埃及邊境包圍，150 萬巴勒斯坦人大多流離失所，在拉法避難。
他表示，地面攻擊是“不必要的”，而且“聚集在拉法的平民沒有地方可以逃脫傷害”。
埃及外交部長薩梅赫·舒克里回應了「停火併釋放人質和被拘留者」的呼籲，並緊急「鑑於前所未有的局勢加強援助行動」。
聯合國多次警告，被圍困的巴勒斯坦領土上的 240 萬人將面臨迫在眉睫的飢荒，五個多月的戰爭已在很大程度上摧毀了該地區的民用基礎設施，並導致大多數人口流離失所。
根據官方統計，哈馬斯對以色列發動史無前例的攻擊，造成約 1,160 人死亡，10 月 7 日，史上最血腥的加薩戰爭爆發。
武裝分子還扣押了約 250 名人質，以色列認為其中 130 名人質仍留在加沙，其中 33 名人質被推定死亡。
據該地區衛生部稱，以色列在哈馬斯統治的加薩地帶發動的報復性軍事行動已造成近 32,000 人死亡，其中大部分是婦女和兒童。
舒克里說：「以色列絕不能在拉法採取任何軍事行動，以避免更多平民受害者和流離失所。」他重申了開羅先前對強迫巴勒斯坦人流離失所的警告。
週四早些時候，布林肯和舒克里與卡達、沙烏地阿拉伯、約旦和阿拉伯聯合大公國的政府部長以及管理被佔領約旦河西岸的巴勒斯坦權力機構的代表舉行了會議。
在一份聯合聲明中，阿拉伯國家部長呼籲「立即全面停火」並「開放以色列和加薩走廊之間的所有過境點」。
布林肯也證實，在安理會數月否決反對該措辭後，美國已分發了一項聯合國決議草案，呼籲在加薩「立即」停火。
該決議強調“需要立即和持久停火”，以保護平民並允許援助進入該領土。
布林肯強調，任何立即休戰都必須與釋放 10 月 7 日襲擊期間巴勒斯坦武裝分子劫持的人質有關。 （法新社）
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