Blinken welcomes cease-fire between Israel, Gaza militants
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday welcomed a cease-fire in Gaza, which ended a three-day bout of intense violence between Israel and Palestinian militants.
“The agreement will bring a welcome respite to Israeli and Palestinian civilians and permit deliveries of critical fuel and other supplies into Gaza,” Blinken said in a statement.
Several dozen were killed as Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants targeted Israel and Israel targeted Gaza.
Palestine’s major militant group, Hamas, withheld from the fighting, though it has often fought with Israel over the coastal strip since it seized power in 2007.
The recent three-day conflict was the worst since an 11-day war last year between Hamas and Israel.
The coastal strip’s new cease-fire, negotiated by Egyptian officials, reportedly allowed Gaza’s power plant to restart Monday.
The secretary thanked Egypt, Qatar, Jordan and other allies for aiding and supporting the cease-fire agreement.
“The United States remains dedicated to our ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and will remain fully engaged in the days ahead to promote calm,” Blinken wrote, adding that the U.S. will work to help “improve the quality of life for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
President Biden on Sunday condemned the Islamic Jihad’s “indiscriminate rocket attacks” against Israel and called for an investigation into the attacks from both parties.
“The reports of civilian casualties in Gaza are a tragedy, whether by Israeli strikes against Islamic Jihad positions or the dozens of Islamic Jihad rockets that reportedly fell inside Gaza,” Biden said.
The fighting reportedly killed 44 Palestinians and wounded 311. No Israeli deaths were reported.
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