During a visit to the kingdom to discuss efforts to calm the war between Israel and Hamas, Blinken told the Saudi al-Hadad channel on Wednesday evening: “We have already presented a draft resolution, which has now been submitted to the Security Council. An immediate ceasefire is attached to the release of hostages, and that it will receive the support of nations. We believe.”
He hoped the project would “send a strong message with a strong indicator”.
The United States, Israel's most important political and military supporter in the war, used its veto power in the Security Council to block a cease-fire resolution on the Gaza Strip.
Blinken explained: “Of course, we stand by Israel and its right to defend itself… but at the same time, it is necessary to focus on and prioritize the vulnerable and vulnerable civilians,” stressing the need to “protect civilians and provide them with humanitarian assistance.”
Blinken met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan in Saudi Arabia, and heads to Egypt on Thursday for the second stop of his sixth tour of the region since war broke out between Israel and Hamas on October 7. He will visit the Hebrew state on Friday.
The US minister's visit comes as Qatar is holding talks led by mediators from Washington, Doha and Cairo, with the aim of reaching an agreement on the fighting between hostages in the Gaza Strip and Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Bringing more aid into prisons and besieged areas, where the majority of the population is at risk of starvation.
On Wednesday, Hamas said it had received a “generally negative” response from Israel, based on the first phase of a six-week ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages and prisoners.
The war erupted on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed at least 1,160 people, most of them civilians, according to a count prepared by Agence France-Presse based on official Israeli figures.
Israel estimates that about 130 hostages are still being held in Gaza, including 33 of the roughly 250 people abducted in the Hamas attack, 33 of whom are believed to have died.
According to the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, Israel responded with a concentrated bombing campaign, followed by a massive ground offensive that killed 31,923 and wounded 74,096, most of them women and children.
