US Secretary of State Arrives in Middle East for 3rd Wartime Visit, Vows To Support ‘Obligation’ To Destroy Hamas

“Hamas’ cynicism knows no bounds…”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the Middle East on Friday, November 3, for the third time since the start of the war between Israel and the armed Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The war began in response to Hamas’ October 7 massacre, in which the terrorist organization infiltrated southern Israeli communities, brutally murdered some 1,400 people, and kidnapped over 240—nearly all of whom were civilians, including noncombatant men, women, children, infants, and elderly.

Blinken’s tour is designed to relay US interests regarding the goals for the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza—namely the release of Hamas’ hostages in Gaza, the destruction of the terror group, and the protection of civilians—as well as to mediate between Israel and the region. By the end of his whirlwind trip, on November 10, he will have also visited Jordan, the Palestinian Authority (PA), Japan, South Korea, and India.

In Amman, Jordan, Blinken met with representatives of the PA, the UN’s Palestinian aid organization UNRWA, and leaders from five Arab states: Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The Arab leaders had also convened to discuss their own desired outcomes from the conflict in Gaza upon Blinken’s arrival.

To say they were underwhelmed by the outcome of their meeting with Blinken may be an understatement. 

In a report released by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, the Arab diplomats stressed their “stance calling for an immediate cease-fire, delivering humanitarian aid, and ways of ending the dangerous deterioration that threatens the security of the region.”

Blinken, on the other hand, reportedly tried to temper their expectations. He shared their goals for controlled cease-fires for the sake of sending humanitarian aid. However, he stopped short of calling for an end to hostilities altogether, showing support for Israel’s ultimate goal of Hamas’ total destruction and removal from power in the Gaza Strip. 

What would make the most sense would be for an effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority to have governance and ultimately security responsibility for Gaza

As for who might replace the terror group as a governing body, Blinken met with PA President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah for the first time since the start of the conflict. According to statements made to Congress, Blinken believes that “what would make the most sense would be for an effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority to have governance and ultimately security responsibility for Gaza.” 

The PA has not expressed any interest, however, in assuming such a role—unless it ultimately leads to efforts to unite the West Bank and Gaza, which would effectively cut Israel in half. Such an initiative is unlikely to ever receive support from Israel.

What Does Israel Want?

Upon arriving in Tel Aviv last Friday morning, Blinken and his entourage started the Middle East visit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his War Cabinet, and President Isaac Herzog.

Addressing the press from the David Kempinski Hotel after his meeting with Herzog, Blinken described the exchange of interests between the two countries. 

Blinken reaffirmed the US “commitment to supporting Israel’s right and obligation to defend itself and to destroy Hamas” as it would be “intolerable” to expect Israel to go back to the status quo of October 6. 

In support of the US position, Blinken spoke at the press conference about his reaction to viewing Hamas bodycam and security camera footage from the October 7 massacre. He described a scene in which a father and his two sons ran into a bomb shelter, only for a Hamas terrorist to then throw a grenade into their hiding place, killing the father.  

“Then the boys run out and into the house,” Blinken recounted. “The camera in the house films them crying, ‘Where’s daddy? They killed daddy. Where’s my mommy?’ The terrorist comes in and casually opens the fridge and eats from it. That’s what we’re dealing with. It’s striking and in some way shocking, [that] the brutality of the slaughter has receded so quickly in the minds of so many. But not in Israel and not in America. Thirty-five Americans were murdered that day as well. And over 200 foreign nationals from 35 countries [too],” Blinken added.

Blinken stated that the goal of Israel, with US support, is to prevent an attack like October 7 from ever happening again, and that in doing so, “we forge a very different future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”  

In fact, Blinken stated the US still views a two-state solution as the only path to end the cycle of violence and achieve a durable and sustaining peace. 

To that end, the secretary of state opined on three different issues. 

Preventing Regional Escalation

First, Blinken discussed preventing the spread of the conflict to different theaters of war, by building up a deterrent against Hizbullah and Iran, as well as [now] the Houthis in Yemen. All these players have stepped up their aggressions, but still shy away from full involvement.

“The US has and will continue to defend our personnel in the region and prevent the resurgence of ISIS,” said Blinken. “We will do what is necessary to deter and respond to any tasks,” particularly with a focus on threats emanating from Iran and its proxies. 

American outposts across the Middle East have come under attack several times since the start of this conflict. According to Blinken, working with other partners within the region (i.e., Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and the PA) will therefore be a major aspect toward preserving regional calm. 

As for Hizbullah’s involvement, the Iran-backed terror group in Lebanon has been increasing its cross-border attacks against Israeli positions in the north for weeks. As Blinken spoke to the press in Tel Aviv on Friday afternoon, Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah delivered his first speech since the start of the war [likely pre-recorded] to massive crowds in his home country.

Nasrallah warned the US against escalations and called for a cessation of hostilities in Gaza “for humanitarian reasons,” as well as for all the peoples in the region to act against Israel, for example by preventing the export of oil and food to Israel. 

The Hizbullah terror chief stopped short of explicitly saying that his group was ready to enter into a broader conflict. However, in the eyes of the Arab public on social media, this was viewed as a weak response.

Protecting Civilians in Gaza

The second aspect that Blinken discussed was to ensure that civilians are protected as much as possible in Gaza amid Israel’s efforts to wipe out Hamas. “We told Israel that it matters how it conducts its war … and that failure to do so plays into the hands of Hamas and other terrorists,” said Blinken. “It’s [also] the right thing and lawful thing to do. … There will be no partners for peace if [Gazan Palestinians are] consumed by a humanitarian catastrophe and alienated by any perceived indifference to their plight,” he continued.

“Civilians should not suffer the consequences of Hamas’ inhumanity and brutality,” Blinken said, adding that he spoke with Netanyahu about observing the rules of war and preventing extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, as well as holding such perpetrators to account.

That said, Blinken explicitly called out Hamas for their war crimes. “Hamas doesn’t care one second or one iota for the Palestinian people and their welfare. It cynically and monstrously uses them as human shields, putting its commanders and command posts, its weapons and ammunition within or beneath residential buildings, schools, mosques, [and] hospitals.”

While Blinken said that he discussed with Netanyahu several ways to achieve Israel’s legitimate military objectives against Hamas without undue casualties, he did not expound on what these steps include.

Increasing Humanitarian Aid to Gaza and Saving Hostages

The final issue on the docket included “substantially increasing the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza and pulling out American citizens from Gaza” as well as reaching an agreement to save the 240+ [primarily] civilian hostages held by Hamas.

Blinken expressed gratitude and pride in how humanitarian deliveries had already increased to some 100 trucks of aid per day through the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza. “It’s still not enough,” said Blinken, who added that he discussed tangible steps to deliver aid while putting in measures to prevent it from reaching Hamas and other terror groups. 

Blinken admitted that Israel raised legitimate concerns about Hamas siphoning and hoarding aid, “denying it from hospitals and others who need it.” 

He concluded by saying, “[Hamas’] cynicism knows no bounds.” 

Indeed, many reports, including those shared by Israeli intelligence services, show Hamas officials admitting that they have weeks’ worth of food, water, and fuel in reserves for their fighters while Gaza civilians struggle to find necessities.

In recent weeks, videos have also surfaced showing aid trucks being raided and Hamas allegedly stealing goods from UNRWA aid stores.

Additionally, The Times of Israel alleged that Israeli inspectors earlier last week uncovered several oxygen concentrators meant to aerate the terror tunnels operated by terror groups in Gaza. The concentrators were said to have been hidden among cookies in humanitarian aid trucks.

“These weren’t for use in the hospitals, but below them,” reported The Times of Israel, quoting a senior Israeli official. And in the end, the entire truck was barred from entering the strip. 

Regarding the evacuation of innocent multinationals from Gaza to Egypt, The New York Times reported that Hamas got the final say on the list of people allowed out of the strip but tried to smuggle its militants among the civilians. In fact, according to The Times, upwards of one-third of those evacuating to Egypt through Rafah were wounded Hamas operatives, which “harms the efforts to evacuate the foreigners.”

There’s no word yet on what the US and Israel plan to do to address such issues. 

Finally, with respect to hostages in Gaza, Blinken suggested a number of short pauses in hostilities—in part to allow the flow of humanitarian aid and to release hostages. “We remain relentlessly focused on releasing all the hostages, and spoke of this today,” reiterated Blinken.

Again, “a number of legitimate questions were raised, including how to connect the pauses to the release of hostages, as well as to prevent Hamas from using pauses to its own advantage,” he added.  

Israel, however, views any cessation of hostilities as an opportunity for Hamas. Speaking later in the day on Friday, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “Israel refuses a temporary cease-fire that does not include the return of our hostages.”

Meanwhile, Israel’s forces cut deeper into the northern Gaza Strip and are escalating hostilities against the Hamas terror group’s network.