Blinken and Netanyahu discuss 'new path forward' for Gaza

On his 11th visit to the region since the October 7 attacks, US Secretary of State says Israel should capitalise on the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to bring hostages home

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meet in Jerusalem. EPA

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday discussed plans for the "day after the war" in Gaza as well as a "governing framework" for the devastated territory.

Although the Israeli Prime Minister's Office provided few details about the framework, the mention of such a plan is significant after months of heavy criticism levelled at Mr Netanyahu that he is not doing enough to bring about an end to the war in Gaza.

An American readout said the discussions were about "the importance of charting a new path forward in the post-conflict period that allows Palestinians to rebuild their lives and provides governance, security, and reconstruction for Gaza". Mr Blinken also reiterated recent US demands that Israel do more to get aid into Gaza.

The comments appeared in contrast to moves from some in Mr Netanyahu's cabinet, who attended a gathering on Israel's border with the enclave on Monday to discuss Jewish resettlement in the area 19 years after Israel ended its occupation of Gaza. Far-right activists at the conference, which was attended by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, said Palestinians should be forced out.

The US Secretary of State arrived in Israel on Tuesday, for the first leg of a Middle East tour, as part of another diplomatic push for a ceasefire in Gaza and efforts to stop the conflict from spreading further across the region.

Mr Blinken added that Israel should "capitalise on Israel’s successful action to bring [Hamas leader] Yahya Sinwar to justice by securing the release of all hostages and ending the conflict in Gaza in a way that provides lasting security for Israelis and Palestinians alike".

Mr Blinken and Mr Netanyahu also discussed "ongoing efforts to reach a diplomatic resolution" in Lebanon and "the need to deter further regional aggression from Iran and its proxies".

"The Secretary reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security", the readout concluded.

Mr Blinken's week-long tour of the Middle East, which also includes Jordan and Qatar, comes as Israel continues its military operations in the Gaza Strip and intensifies attacks against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon. It is Mr Blinken’s 11th trip to the region since the Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7 last year and follows the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last week.

The US is increasing pressure on Israel to allow greater quantities of humanitarian aid into Gaza, where almost the entire population have lost their homes and does not have enough to eat. Disease is running rampant in the enclave, where more than 42,600 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured in over a year of war.

Israel’s military operations in the territory were sparked by the Hamas attacks last year, which killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. About 100 Israelis remain held in Gaza and there is growing anger among the Israeli public about the failure to reach a ceasefire deal to secure their release.

The US top diplomat’s talks in the region will also cover Lebanon, where Washington’s envoy Amos Hochstein this week met officials to try to reach a solution that “brings an end to this conflict once and for all”, he told reporters in Beirut.

Last week, Washington sent a letter to Israeli ministers warning them that US weapons supplies to the country would be curbed if Mr Netanyahu’s government did not do more to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

In recent days the Israeli military has publicised aid deliveries it has facilitated into Gaza, but aid officials say they are still well below the quantities required. They report that Israel denies nearly all their requests to deliver supplies to northern Gaza, among the worst-affected parts of the enclave, often without reason, and widely describe the area as “under siege”.

A Gaza ceasefire deal is still far out of reach, analysts say. In a written briefing, the New York-based Soufan Centre think tank said the willingness of Hamas to negotiate a ceasefire deal depends in part on who is chosen to replace Mr Sinwar, who was widely believed to favour a bullish stance against reaching an agreement.

“Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has not fully accomplished its core objectives either in Gaza or against Hezbollah,” its analysis read. “Both groups either resist Israel’s demands and vow to continue retaliating for Israeli operations against them … Whether Israel can accomplish its remaining objectives in Gaza might depend on who is elevated to the leadership of Hamas following the killing of Yahya Sinwar.”