Palestinian four-year-old with cerebral palsy Ghassan al-Qishawi who also suffers from malnutrition rests at their shelter at the UNRWA-run Salaheddin school in Gaza — AFP GAZA, June 10 (Reuters/AFP): A senior Hamas official urged the United States on Monday to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza, ahead of the planned visit on Monday by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region to push forward ceasefire efforts.
Blinken is set to visit Egypt and Israel on Monday. He also aims to ensure the war does not expand into Lebanon.
"We call upon the US administration to put pressure on the occupation to stop the war on Gaza and the Hamas movement is ready to deal positively with any initiative that secures an end to the war," senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said.
In his eighth visit to the region since Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct 7, triggering the bloodiest episode in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Blinken is also set to travel to Jordan and Qatar this week.
He is set to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo before travelling to Israel later on Monday, where he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, according to a State Department schedule.
US calls on Security Council
to vote on Gaza truce plan
The United States announced Sunday it has requested a UN Security Council vote on its draft resolution backing a plan for an "immediate ceasefire with the release of hostages" between Israel and Hamas.
Diplomatic sources said the vote is planned for Monday, but has not yet been confirmed by South Korea, which holds the Security Council presidency for the month of June.
"Today, the United States called for the Security Council to move towards a vote... supporting the proposal on the table," said Nate Evans, spokesman for the US delegation, without specifying a vote date.
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