Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip voiced their dissatisfaction with a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday (19/8), as the top US official pushed for a ceasefire on his ninth trip to the Middle East since the war began.
Blinken said now is “probably the last chance” to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza that would return hostages held by Hamas and ease the suffering of Palestinians after 10 months of war in Gaza.
Ahmad Fouda, a refugee from Rafah, said, “America means death, and Blinken is the angel of death for the Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims. America will never bring us good, and whoever expects good from America, Blinken, Biden, or even Trump, is insane. Blinken only came for Netanyahu, his spoiled son, to save him and get him out of the crisis he is in.”
Meanwhile, Masoud Abu-Dbaa, another refugee from Rafah, said, “As usual, America plays a role, playing the role of judge and executioner at the same time. America is the official supplier of weapons (to Israel), and at the same time, they will be the judge who rules fairly between us and the Israeli entity. This is the tenth visit in which he is trying to buy time to annihilate as many Palestinians as possible, and the more I expect from him is failure, and more pressure on the weaker party.”
Blinken's visit comes days after mediators, including the US, expressed renewed optimism that a deal was close.
But Hamas has voiced deep dissatisfaction with the latest proposals and Israel says there are some things it is unwilling to compromise on.
The talks have taken on new urgency as Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah vowed to retaliate for the targeted killings of two top militant commanders, which they blame on Israel, raising fears of a much wider and more devastating war. (ab/lt)
