Israel committed to return of hostages from Gaza: Gallant tells Blinken

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday that his country is committed to the return of hostages in the Gaza Strip, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

The officials met at the Kerem Shalom crossing on the border between the Gaza Strip, Egypt and Israel.

Blinken arrived Tuesday in Tel Aviv after visiting Jordan and Saudi Arabia to push for a cease-fire between the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, and Israel.

"I have just finished a visit to the Kerem Shalom crossing with the US Secretary of State, where we discussed how to expand humanitarian aid to Gaza,'' the newspaper quoted Gallant.

''We are committed to taking any action to return the hostages to their homes,'' he said. "At the same time, the Israeli army, under the instructions given to the General Staff and the Chief of Staff, is ready to execute any operational mission in Rafah city.''

Blinken told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US opposes a military operation in Rafah, home to more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli public broadcaster, KAN.

Israel has waged a relentless offensive on the Palestinian enclave since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas, which killed less than 1,200 people.

More than 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed and over 76,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

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

​​​​​​​*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul