Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, PoolThe US Secretary of State is working with Arab allies to prevent the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas from turning into a wider conflict. He is currently in Egypt before tomorrow's new departure to Israel, whose army has said it is waiting for a political decision to launch a ground offensive.
The conflict between the Israeli army and Hamas entered its ninth day. As Israel prepares for a ground offensive on the Gaza Strip, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is on a diplomatic mission in the Middle East.
Blinken, as assessed, embarked on his most extensive trip to date, and the day before he will visit Israel again, he is staying in Egypt.
The US Secretary of State is working with Arab allies to prevent the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas from turning into a wider conflict.
Egypt: Israel's attack went beyond self-defense
Blinken said in Cairo after talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi that he visited Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt in recent days to listen to the opinion of Arab countries regarding the crisis caused by Israel's conflict with Hamas.
Blinken reiterated the position that the US supports Israel, but at the same time wants to prevent the spread of the conflict.
Blinken pointed out that the dialogue with diplomats is continuing for the release of hostages held by Hamas, including US citizens.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said in a conversation with Blinken that Israel's reaction to the Hamas attack went beyond self-defense and represented collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
El-Sisi said he condemned any targeting of civilians in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Egypt has stepped up diplomatic efforts to facilitate the delivery of aid to Gaza and the de-escalation of the conflict, the Egyptian presidency said.
Blinken has so far visited Israel on Thursday, and then stayed in Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Again with Netanyahu
On Monday, he will meet again with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
One of the topics of discussion with Israeli officials will be efforts to provide a safe exit for about 1.000 foreign citizens in Gaza, including 300 Americans.
Blinken said he had a "very productive" meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.
"Secretary of State Blinken stressed that the constant focus of the United States is the cessation of terrorist attacks by Hamas, the release of all hostages and the prevention of the spread of the conflict," said the spokesman of the State Department, Matthew Miller, according to Reuters.
Photo: AP Photo/Erik MarmorHe stated that the two officials confirmed their mutual determination to protect civilians and improve stability in the Middle East and beyond.
The meeting between the two officials came at a time when the region is on the brink of further escalation, and Gaza, with its 2,3 million Palestinian inhabitants, is expecting an Israeli ground offensive.
After the meeting with Blinken, Bin Salman emphasized that Riyadh was working to "calm the situation" and reiterated his condemnation of the attacks on civilians, the official Saudi news agency SPA reported.
These efforts by Riyadh include calls to regional leaders as well as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
The Saudi official also emphasized the need for the Palestinians to "realize their legitimate rights and achieve a just and lasting peace", according to SPA.
Requested help from China
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to ask for China's help in preventing the "spillover" of the Israel-Hamas conflict into the wider region.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Blinken called Wang on Saturday from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to urge China to use its influence in the Middle East to prevent other countries and groups from entering the conflict.
Miller did not specify which countries and groups Beijing, according to the US, has influence over, but it is known that China has close trade and political ties with Iran, which supports Hamas and the Hezbollah group in Lebanon.
A State Department spokesman did not say what Wang's response was, but said the United States believes it and China have a common interest in keeping the Middle East stable.
The army is waiting for politics
The Israeli army announced that it is waiting for a political decision to launch a ground offensive against the extremist group Hamas, after a new deadline set by the Israeli army for the evacuation of the northern part of Gaza to the south of the area expired at noon.
Photo: AP Photo/Oren ZivAt the same time, the army did not indicate when the option for the safe withdrawal of civilians will be closed, reports AFP.
Israel is facing pressure from the United Nations and its allies to delay an announced ground invasion of Gaza until civilians are given a chance to withdraw from the northern part of the Palestinian enclave.
The US is sending another aircraft carrier
Meanwhile, as Israel prepares for a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, the United States has sent another aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean Sea.
President Joe Biden's administration has sent the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea to support Israel, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
Austin said the additional aircraft carrier was sent as part of an effort by America to "deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts to expand this war following Hamas' attack on Israel," the AP reported.
The Eisenhower will join the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group, which is already sailing near Israel, to bolster America's presence in the region with more destroyers, fighter jets and cruisers. The Eisenhower sailed from its home port of Norfolk on Friday.
Photo: AP Photo/Steve Helber, FileThese aircraft carriers can serve as primary command and control operations centers and cover a wide area. They are able to conduct information warfare, launch and receive reconnaissance aircraft, provide early warning of missile launches, conduct surveillance and manage airspace.
Both ships carry F-18 fighter jets that can intercept or engage targets.
Aircraft carriers also have significant humanitarian capacity, including a hospital with medical staff, surgeons and doctors, and helicopters that can be used to airlift critical supplies or casualties.
There is water again.
Israel has restored the water supply to Gaza. The decision was announced by US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who said he had been briefed on the move by his Israeli counterparts within the last hour.
About a million people have been displaced in the Gaza Strip because of the war that broke out after the bloody attack on Israeli territory on September 7, the UN agency for Palestine refugees said.
Doctors in Gaza have warned that thousands of people will die, because hospitals are full of wounded, and health facilities have neither fuel nor basic provisions, while the population in Gaza has no food and water and their lives are in danger before the announced ground offensive of Israel, the Associated Press reports. .
Photo: AP Photo/Hatem AliThe Palestinian Ministry of Health said at least 2.300 people have been killed since the fighting began, more than in the 2014 Gaza war, which lasted six months. This is the deadliest outcome in the five wars in Gaza by both sides, as more than 1.400 Israelis have been killed in Hamas attacks.
Hospitals in Gaza have fuel for generators for two more days, putting the lives of thousands of patients at risk, and according to the UN, the only power plant in Gaza is out of fuel and had to stop working, after Israel completely cut off supplies to that terrorist group.
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