US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday welcomed the ceasefire in Gaza and announced he would travel to the Middle East in the coming days.
“I spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi today and welcomed his confirmation that the parties had agreed to a ceasefire, mediated by Egypt,” tweeted Blinken.
“I will be traveling to the region in the coming days and look forward to meeting the Foreign Minister and other Israeli, Palestinian, and regional leaders,” he added.
The ceasefire aimed at bringing an end to the latest escalation in Gaza went into effect at 2:00 a.m. on Friday morning. Before it began, Gaza terrorists fired several final salvos of rockets towards southern Israel.
US President Joe Biden delivered remarks after the Israeli Cabinet approved the ceasefire in Gaza and stressed Israel’s right to defend itself.
Biden also said the US is committed to working with the United Nations and other international organizations to provide humanitarian support to Gaza.
“I believe that Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely and to enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity and democracy. My administration will continue our quiet, relentless diplomacy toward that end,” said the President.
“I believe we have a genuine opportunity to make progress and I’m committed to working for it,” added Biden.