Blinken warned Israel: "Normalization with Saudi Arabia requires a ceasefire"

American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken landed in Israel yesterday (Tuesday), and held a series of meetings with senior Israeli officials, with the aim of clarifying Washington's position regarding the continuation of Israel's military activities in the Gaza Strip. According to a report by Moriah Asraf Walberg in News 13, Blinken conveyed the message to the senior officials: "If there is no hostage deal and a prolonged ceasefire soon – it will not be possible to reach normalization with Saudi Arabia, action in Rafah will harm the promotion of normalization", he added: "The window of time is limited."

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According to a report by Barak Ravid and Tal Shalov in "Walla!" According to senior Israeli and American officials – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clarified in a meeting with Blinken that "if Hamas continues to demand the end of the war, there will be no deal for the release of hostages and Israel will launch an operation in Rafah."

Blinken landed in Israel yesterday evening and met with the country's president Yitzhak Herzog , who said: "I want to thank you for the strong support and the moral clarity in your words regarding the circumstances of this terrible event, the war that was imposed on us, the horrors we experienced, as well as regarding the condition of the abductees. We wish for their immediate return , and it should be the priority of the international community. The international community must make a unanimous decision that the release of the abductees is a top priority."

Blinken replied: "Thank you, Mr. President. As always, it is very good to meet you even in these difficult times. We are determined to achieve a ceasefire that will bring the hostages home, and to achieve it now. The only reason a deal will not be reached is because of Hamas. There is an offer on the table, and as we said , no delays, no excuses. Now is the time. The time has long passed to return the abducted to their families."

The American Secretary of State, who is his eighth visit to Israel since the outbreak of the war, today visited the port of Ashdod, which is the important hub for the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza.