Description
Added on the 07/02/2024 15:11:08 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urges the UN agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) to address allegations its staff were involved in attacking Israel, but distanced himself from calls for its end. "UNRWA has played and continues to play an absolutely indispensable role in trying to make sure that men, women and children who so desperately need assistance in Gaza actually get it," Blinken tells reporters. "That only underscores the importance of UNRWA tackling this as quickly as effectively and as thoroughly as possible," he says after the United States suspended funding. SOUNDBITE
The UN's Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland says Israel's limited steps to let aid into Gaza are "positive," but fall "short of what is needed." "The delivery of humanitarian aid in the Strip continues to face nearly insurmountable challenges. Amid displacement on an unimaginable scale and active hostilities, the humanitarian response system is on the brink," Wennesland tells the UN Security Council. SOUNDBITE
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he had discussed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu potential "humanitarian pauses" in the war in Gaza. SOUNDBITE
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken leaves Joint Base Andrews as he heads back to the Middle East to push ahead a Gaza ceasefire deal, as cautious optimism rises. The top US diplomat, who is putting off vacation plans for his ninth trip to the Middle East since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, will fly to Tel Aviv ahead of expected meetings with the Israeli leadership. IMAGES
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and release of remaining hostages by Hamas is near the "goal line." "I believe we're inside the 10-yard line and driving toward the goal line" on an "agreement that would produce a ceasefire, get the hostages home, and put us on a better track to trying to build lasting peace and stability," Blinken says at a forum in Colorado. SOUNDBITE