The renewed Israeli military offensive in the occupied Palestinian territories has once again put the prospects of Gaza peace in grave peril.
At least 178 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza as the truce expired on Friday. According to the health ministry in the Gaza Strip, 178 Palestinians have been killed and 589 injured in strikes on the besieged enclave since a week-long truce expired.
As the Gaza humanitarian crisis deepens with the every passing day, Israel has refused to listen to the world and stop the war crimes against the Palestinians. Some influential world leaders are still making efforts for a durable peace in Gaza, but it remains to be seen if their efforts bear the fruit or not.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met officials from Arab states today and discussed the future of the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s resumption of its military offensive. He said the talks focused on the current situation in Gaza and how to create a “durable, lasting and secure peace”.
Blinken met foreign ministers from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, alongside representatives of the Palestinian Authority, on the sidelines of the COP28 UN climate conference in Dubai, said a senior State Department official.
In a related development, the head of Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS) said the country is making utmost efforts to reinstate the truce in Gaza as soon as possible. SIS head Diaa Rashwan made the announcement in a statement issued today.
Also, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the Middle Eastern nation was committed to continuing efforts to return to a truce in the Gaza Strip. “Continuous bombardment of Gaza complicates mediation efforts and exacerbates humanitarian catastrophe,” the foreign minister said.
