United States pledges aid to rebuild blockaded Gaza Strip
US top diplomat Antony Blinken on Tuesday vowed support to help rebuild the battered Gaza Strip and shore up a truce between Hamas and Israel, but insisted the resistance movement in Gaza would not benefit from any aid.
- World
- DPA
- Published Date: 03:16 | 25 May 2021
- Modified Date: 03:24 | 25 May 2021
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged his country's help in rebuilding the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, though he stressed that the aid must not benefit Hamas, which rules the area.
The announcement is part of Blinken's goal during his trip to the Middle East - set to last through Thursday - to help support a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Territories that has been in place since Friday.
He announced the US' "significant contribution" to Gaza after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Blinken also stressed that tensions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem also needed to be dialled down and advocated renewing relations with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
He also plans to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and Jordanian King Abdullah II this week.
The US State Department said before Blinken set off that the goal of the trip was to help cement the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the de facto rulers of the Gaza Strip. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the US, European Union and other countries.
Israel and Gaza rulers Hamas have so far been keeping to an agreed ceasefire that went into effect early Friday and came about after more than a week of military escalation. In the wake of the recent conflict, there have been significantly more violent incidents in the West Bank.