U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged that the United States would rally support to rebuild Gaza, as he began his Middle East tour in Jerusalem on Tuesday.
In a televised statement after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken said the United States will work to rally international support and make its own “significant contributions.”
But it will be ensured that “Hamas does not benefit from the reconstruction assistance,” Blinken said about the Islamist Palestinian group that runs the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Netanyahu, speaking alongside Blinken after their meeting, warned that his country will launch a “very powerful response” if Hamas will renew rocket fire at Israel.
A ceasefire was reached recently between Israel and the militant groups in Gaza, after 11 days of conflict that killed 248 people in Gaza and 12 people in Israel.
Blinken landed in the Ben Gurion airport outside Tel Aviv earlier on Tuesday. He is also expected to meet Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi before meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
However, Palestine said on Tuesday that the truce between Israel and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which was reached last Friday, has to include the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made the remarks during a meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in the West Bank city of Ramallah, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
