Blinken welcomes UN vote in favor of Gaza cease-fire plan and again calls on Hamas to accept it
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.N. Security Council’s vote in favor of a U.S.-backed proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza has made it “as clear as it possibly could be” that the world supports the plan
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the U.N. Security Council’s vote in favor of a U.S.-backed proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza made it “as clear as it possibly could be” that the world supports the plan, as he again called on Hamas to accept it.
“Everyone’s vote is in, except for one vote, and that’s Hamas,” Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv after meeting with Israeli officials. Blinken said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “reaffirmed his commitment to the proposal” when they met late Monday.
Blinken's latest visit to the region — his eighth since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack ignited the war — is focused on rallying support for the cease-fire proposal, boosting the entry of humanitarian aid and advancing postwar plans for Gaza's governance. He is traveling on to Jordan as well as Qatar, which along with Egypt has served as a key mediator with Hamas.
The proposal, announced by President Joe Biden last month, calls for a three-phased plan in which Hamas would release the rest of the hostages in exchange for a lasting cease-fire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The group is still holding around 120 hostages, a third of whom are believed to be dead.
