Arab leaders urge ceasefire in Gaza, Blinken says halt would allow Hamas to regroup

Arab leaders on Saturday urged an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, pressing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to convince Israel.

But the top US diplomat said such a halt right now would only allow Palestinian militant group Hamas to regroup and attack Israel again. Mr Blinken made the comments on Saturday in Jordan after holding talks with Arab leaders, who want an immediate halt to the fighting. However, Blinken added that Israel had to take "every possible measure" to prevent civilian casualties in the enclave.
In a rare public disagreement at a news conference in Amman, foreign ministers of Jordan and Egypt, standing alongside Blinken, repeatedly pushed for a cessation of hostilities, saying the death of thousands of civilians could not be justified as self-defense. They also refused to discuss in-depth what comes next for Gaza, when and if Hamas is eradicated, saying the immediate focus should be on the effort to establish a cessation of hostilities.