Blinken: “Israel has achieved its strategic objectives, it is now time to end the war in Gaza.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, “From my perspective, what I see is that Israel has achieved its strategic objectives within the framework of the standards it set.”

Speaking after the North Atlantic Council Meeting held at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Blinken said that the US has requested real and prolonged pauses in hostilities to deliver aid to those in need in Gaza.

In response to a question highlighting the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza since the letter was sent containing a threat to restrict arms shipments and military aid from the US to Israel if Israel does not improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Blinken said the purpose of the letter was to instill a sense of urgency in Israeli officials to take steps for Gaza. Claiming the letter was effective, Blinken stated, “Israel has entered or begun a process of implementation on 12 of the 15 steps we requested.”

Blinken emphasized, “We need to see real and prolonged pauses in the war and all forms of conflict in a large part of Gaza. This way, aid supplies can be effectively delivered to those in need. There are significant challenges in this regard, but we have also witnessed successful solutions. One of the very successful initiatives was the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of children were vaccinated. However, the critical factor in this success was the long-term pauses lasting days, not just hours, as it currently stands. It is vital for those delivering aid to be able to get these supplies to those in need, distribute them effectively, and find the space to do so.”

“I think the time has come to end the war”

Blinken said, “Despite all the steps taken, the situation is so difficult and striking that the best way to completely rectify it and meet the needs of the people is to end the war. From my perspective, what I see is that Israel has achieved its strategic objectives within the framework of the standards it set. It was determined to do its best to ensure that something like October 7 never happens again. It had stated that to do this, it needed to dismantle Hamas’s military structure and capture the leadership responsible for October 7. It has achieved both of these objectives. Therefore, I believe the time has come to end the war. To do this, fundamentally two things are needed. The first is to ensure that the hostages, including 7 Americans, return home.”

Blinken also mentioned that “a plan for post-war” is also needed, stating, “This is something I have been working on in recent weeks. If Israel decides to end the war and we find a way to rescue the hostages, we need to have a clear plan that allows Israel to exit Gaza and prevents Hamas from returning. We are intensively working on these plans, detailing them and trying to implement them as much as we can.”

Blinken expressed that Israel must fulfill its obligations and that they will monitor Israel closely on a daily basis in this regard, noting that ceasefire proposals in exchange for the release of hostages were rejected by Hamas, and that pressure needs to be applied to Hamas.