Blinken shuttles around Mideast on peace quest 

washington — 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with cardinal negotiators Thursday during a frenetic four-day workout successful Middle East shuttle diplomacy that aims to relaunch talks to propulsion the grinding warfare successful Gaza to a close.

On Thursday, helium announced $135 cardinal successful further U.S. assistance for Palestinian civilians. He besides reiterated President Joe Biden's stance that the sidesplitting of Hamas person Yahya Sinwar past week by Israeli forces was a tenable stopping constituent to this brutal struggle sparked connected October 7, 2023, erstwhile Hamas militants stormed the Israeli border, sidesplitting 1,200 radical and taking much than 250 hostages.

"Israel has accomplished the strategical goals that it acceptable retired for itself: making definite that October 7th and the horrors tin ne'er hap again by efficaciously dismantling the subject enactment of Hamas," Blinken said, speaking from Doha, Qatar.

"It has succeeded successful doing that and bringing to justness its leaders, those who perpetrated the horrors of October 7th, notably Sinwar," helium added. "Now that that's been accomplished, this is simply a infinitesimal to enactment to extremity this war, to marque definite each the hostages are location and to physique a amended aboriginal for radical successful Gaza."

Qatar's person and apical diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who serves arsenic some premier curate and overseas minister, appeared with Blinken. He said negotiators had reengaged with Hamas. But helium went connected to overgarment a murky representation of the future.

"Regarding our connection with Hamas and the enactment aft Sinwar — yes, we reengaged with them," helium said. "We've been successful an engagement with representatives from the governmental bureau successful Doha. We had immoderate meetings with them the past mates of days. I judge that until now, determination is nary clarity what volition beryllium the mode guardant oregon the wide position."

Not overmuch optimism

Analysts aren't hopeful that this occurrence tin beryllium doused, particularly aft Israel began targeting Hezbollah successful Lebanon, sidesplitting its leader. The U.S. considers Hezbollah and Hamas violent organizations.

"To beryllium wholly honest, it's not wholly wide wherefore Tony Blinken is making different travel to the region," said Gerald Feierstein, manager of the Arabian Peninsula Affairs Program astatine the Middle East Institute. "There doesn't look to beryllium immoderate peculiar imaginable that he's going to execute thing caller oregon antithetic than the past 10 times that he's been retired there," helium told VOA.

A apical U.S. Muslim rights advocacy radical pointed to what helium said were 2 stumbling blocks to a deal: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's apical supporter, Biden.

"Mr. Netanyahu, for governmental and ideological reasons, has nary involvement successful agreeing to a imperishable cease-fire that frees each the hostages, pulls each Israeli troops retired of Gaza and ends the warfare erstwhile and for all," Edward Ahmed Mitchell, lawman manager astatine the Council connected American-Islamic Relations, told VOA. "The lone mode to unit him to bash it is to withhold the weapons. So, I bash not expect Mr. Blinken's travel to win without that missing element."

These delicate diplomatic moves are happening good implicit the heads of the radical who person to unrecorded done this connected some sides of this bristling border.

On Thursday successful cardinal Gaza, astatine slightest 17 Palestinians — among them, children — were killed successful an Israeli onslaught connected a schoolhouse wherever displaced radical were taking shelter.

And connected Thursday successful Jerusalem, hundreds of protesters marched to request the merchandise of Israeli hostages who were abducted connected October 7, 2023.

VOA's Kim Lewis contributed to this study from Washington. Some accusation came from The Associated Press and Reuters.