Gaza Conflict: Israel faces global pressure as civilian casualties mount

Following Israel’s rejection of calls for a ceasefire in the midst of a diplomatic blitz by the United States to help contain the conflict’s escalation, efforts to exert pressure on Israel to spare civilians in Gaza were scheduled to continue on Monday. Hours after hundreds of protesters supporting the Palestinian cause attempted to storm an air base housing American troops in southern Turkey, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to meet with Turkey’s foreign minister in Ankara on Monday. Blinken met with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, on Sunday during an unexpected trip to the West Bank. Abbas echoed calls from around the world for an immediate ceasefire. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled that out unless Blinken addressed US concerns that a ceasefire could help Hamas. “There will be no ceasefire without the return of the hostages. This should be completely removed from the lexicon,” Netanyahu said. Efforts to pressure Israel to spare civilians in Gaza were set to continue on Monday after Israel rebuffed calls for a ceasefire amid a U.S. diplomatic blitz to the region to help contain escalation of the conflict. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to meet with Turkey’s foreign minister in Ankara on Monday, hours after hundreds of people at a pro-Palestinian protesters tried to storm an air base that houses U.S. troops in southern Turkey. Blinken on Sunday made an unannounced visit to the West Bank to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who joined international calls for an immediate ceasefire. But after Blinken repeated U.S. concerns that a ceasefire could aid Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled that out unless hostages held by Hamas were released. According to the New York Times, U.S. CIA Director William Burns was scheduled to visit Israel on Monday to talk with senior officials about the war and intelligence. In order to discuss the Gaza situation, Burns will also stop in other Middle Eastern nations, according to an anonymous U.S. official quoted in the Times. When Reuters asked the CIA for comment, the agency did not reply. In a conversation with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin “reiterated his ironclad commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself and emphasised the importance of both protecting civilians and delivering humanitarian assistance,” according to the Pentagon. Texas “reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this conflict.” According to her office, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will speak with foreign leaders later on Monday to discuss the conflict and further the administration’s efforts to improve the supply of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s civilian population. According to reports in state media and a post by Jordan’s king on X, the former Twitter platform, the Jordanian air force air-dropped vital medical supplies to the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza early on Monday. The Ohio-class nuclear missile submarine has arrived in the region, according to U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East. This unprecedented public announcement of a nuclear submarine’s location was taken by some on the platform as a message to Iran. People looked for victims or survivors at the Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza, where the health ministry of the Hamas-run enclave reported that Israeli forces had killed at least 47 people in an attack early on Sunday. (With agency inputs)