Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called on the United States to leverage its influence over Israel to prevent further bloodshed in Gaza.
Speaking to CNBC’s Dan Murphy on Sunday at a World Economic Forum meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he said that “only the United States has the global ability to influence conditions and motivate all parties concerned to find the point of convergence and to be more efficient. capable of breaking the cycle of violence.
His comments echo those of other Arab leaders at the WEF meeting who believe that ending the war in Gaza lies with the United States. Choukry pushed Washington to “exploit its ability to provide incentives, but also to indicate the consequences of the lack of results or progress in the cessation of hostilities.”
Hamas is reportedly reviewing Israel’s latest ceasefire proposal in Gaza and a delegation from the group is expected to travel to Cairo on Monday for talks, according to a Hamas official who spoke to Reuters.
Palestinians walk through a street filled with debris from buildings destroyed by Israeli attacks, returning home as the scale of the destruction emerges following the withdrawal of the Israeli army from some areas, including Al-Mecusi, in Gaza. Gaza City, April 24, 2024.
Dawoud Abo Alkas | Anadolu | Getty Images
The new proposal, launched by Egypt, aims to stop a possible attack on Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than a million people are sheltering.
Israel has been threatening to enter the town on the Egyptian border for weeks, despite warnings from its allies who called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the assault. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also called on the United States to stop the attack on Rafah.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday, en route from China to Jordan and Israel, where he is expected to “discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza that guarantees the release of the hostages and how it is Hamas that stands between the Palestinian people and a cease-fire. »
Israel cut off food and water supplies to the Gaza Strip, home to about 2.3 million people, after the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks that killed some 1,200 people in Israel and took another 253 hostages . Israeli aerial bombardments and the subsequent ground invasion killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
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