Description
Added on the 09/01/2024 20:52:44 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken makes a brief stop at Larnaca airport in Cyprus where he is greeted by President Nikos Christodoulides. Blinken left the West Bank for Cyprus, the nearest EU member state to Israel and the Gaza Strip, which last week said it was working towards establishing a maritime corridor for aid to Gaza. IMAGES
Israel has not shared a date for an assault on Gaza's Rafah with the United States, which will keep raising concerns, Secretary of State Antony Blinken says, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the time was set. "No, we do not have any date for an operation, at least one that's been communicated to us by the Israelis," Blinken tells reporters. SOUNDBITE
Protecting and aiding civilians must be "job number one" for Israel in the war-battered Gaza Strip, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says. "We look to the government of Israel to make sure that this is a priority. Protecting civilians, getting people the assistance they need, that has to be job number one, even as they do what is necessary to defend the country to deal with the threat posed by Hamas," Blinken tells reporters during a press conference in Washington, DC. SOUNDBITE
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calls on Hamas to accept an "immediate ceasefire" with Israel as the militants met Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Cairo. "We have an opportunity for an immediate ceasefire that can bring hostages home, that can dramatically increase the amount of humanitarian assistance getting to Palestinians who so desperately need it, and then also set the conditions for an enduring resolution," Blinken says as he meets the Qatari prime minister in Washington. "It is on Hamas to make decisions about whether it is prepared to engage in that ceasefire," he adds. SOUNDBITE
Antony Blinken called Wednesday on Israel to prioritise civilians in Gaza's Rafah, but stopped short of urging against military action in the packed Palestinian city. The US Secretary of State also warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government against actions and talk that raise tensions. "I also raised our profound concerns about actions and rhetoric, including from government officials, that inflame tensions that undercut international support and place greater restraints on Israel's security," Blinken told reporters at a press conference in Tel Aviv. SOUNDBITE
U.S. President Barack Obama attends an outdoor arrival ceremony in heavy rain, as the first sitting U.S. president to visit Laos. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).