Blinken's 'fruitless' trips fail to deter Israeli assaults — Palestine

Palestine has termed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's regional tours as "fruitless" amid Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza.

Blinken arrived in Egypt on Thursday for his sixth regional tour since Israel launched its deadly offensive on Gaza following a Hamas incursion on Oct. 7, 2023.

He held talks with officials in Saudi Arabia to discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
He is also scheduled to visit Israel on Friday.

"Blinken repeats his calls for an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of prisoners and hostages, protection of civilians and the entry of relief aid and warns against invading Rafah without protecting civilians," the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

"Unfortunately, we don’t see significant tangible results from these shuttle tours or successes regarding the implementation of the US positions and demands," it added.

The ministry said Israel escalates its "aggression" against the Palestinians with each regional tour launched by the top US diplomat.

"Israel continues its massacres by brutally bombing homes and facilities and maintaining its policy of starvation and thirst, deprivation of medicines, and preventing the entry of humanitarian aid," it added.

At least 140 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli raid since Monday on the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.

"This coincides with an unprecedented international failure to force the occupying state to fulfil its obligations towards civilians," the ministry said.

Israel accused of genocide

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 incursion led by Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

Nearly 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, and nearly 74,200 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war, now on its 167th day, has pushed 85 percent of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60 percent of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in January issued an interim ruling ordering Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.