US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was forced to cancel his planned visit to the Gaza border on Monday, after Israeli protesters blocked the entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged territory, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Blinken, who is on a three-day trip to the Middle East to discuss the aftermath of the recent war between Israel and Hamas, had intended to oversee the delivery of food and medical supplies to Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are facing a severe hunger crisis and a risk of famine.
However, he had to scrap his visit after dozens of Israeli activists, some of them armed, staged a sit-in at the Kerem Shalom crossing, the main commercial and humanitarian gateway to Gaza, and prevented the trucks carrying the aid from entering the strip.
The protesters, who said they were representing the families of Israeli soldiers and civilians who were killed or captured by Hamas during the war, demanded that the aid be conditioned on the release of the remains of civilians who are believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.
The protesters also accused Blinken and the US administration of being biased and appeasing Hamas, the Islamist group that rules Gaza, and of betraying Israel and its security interests.
Blinken, who had met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas earlier in the day, expressed his disappointment and frustration over the aid blockade, and urged the Israeli authorities to intervene and resolve the situation.
“We are deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and we are committed to providing urgent and substantial assistance to the people who are suffering and in need,” Blinken said in a statement. “We call on all parties to respect and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, and to refrain from any actions that could jeopardize the safety and security of the aid workers and the recipients.”
Frustration Among Palestinians
Blinken’s cancellation of his Gaza border visit came amid reports that Netanyahu had ordered his military to prepare for a possible invasion of Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had fled to escape the Israeli bombardment of other parts of the strip.
According to Haaretz, Netanyahu had instructed the army to draw up a plan for a ground operation in Rafah, which is located on the border with Egypt, and which Israel considers to be a strategic and security threat, as it is a hub for smuggling weapons and fighters to and from Gaza.
Netanyahu, who is facing a political crisis and a possible end to his 12-year rule, had reportedly made the decision to invade Rafah after he failed to secure a decisive victory over Hamas in the war, and after he faced criticism and pressure from his right-wing allies and rivals, who accused him of being weak and indecisive.
Netanyahu had also rejected the ceasefire agreement that was brokered by Egypt and endorsed by the US and the UN, and had insisted on continuing the military campaign until Hamas was “neutralized” and its capabilities were “destroyed”.
However, Netanyahu’s plan to invade Rafah was met with opposition and skepticism from some of his senior military and intelligence officials, who warned that such a move would be costly and risky, and that it would likely trigger a new wave of violence and escalation in the region.
The officials also argued that invading Rafah would not achieve any of the stated goals of the war, such as restoring Israel’s deterrence and security, or weakening Hamas’ political and military power, but rather would strengthen and legitimize the group, and undermine the prospects of a political and diplomatic solution to the conflict.
The war in Gaza, which started on Oct. 7, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel with rockets and tunnels, was the deadliest in the past 15 years, and claimed the lives of more than 27,000 Palestinians, according to official sources.
The war also displaced more than half a million Palestinians, who sought refuge in schools, mosques, and other facilities run by the UN and other aid agencies, and destroyed or damaged more than 20,000 homes, as well as schools, hospitals, mosques, and other infrastructure, leaving more than 100,000 people homeless and in need of humanitarian assistance.
