(Washington) Benny Gantz, influential member of the Israeli war cabinet, will meet American leaders in Washington on Monday to discuss “a temporary ceasefire” and “the need to significantly increase” humanitarian aid to Gaza, announced a White House official on Sunday.
This visit comes at a time when the United States, Israel’s primary military and diplomatic supporter, is seeking a truce in the war that has lasted nearly five months.
Israeli military operations in Gaza launched in retaliation for the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7 left 30,410 dead, the vast majority civilians, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.
Faced with the desperate situation of the Palestinians in the territory threatened by famine, besieged and bombed, international calls for a truce are increasing.
Benny Gantz is scheduled to meet with US Vice President Kamala Harris and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday, the official, who requested anonymity, told reporters.
“This meeting is part of our ongoing efforts to speak with a wide range of Israeli officials about the war in Gaza and preparations for the day after,” he said.
Benny Gantz should also meet the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken during his stay in the United States, added a State Department official.
The Hamas attack on October 7 on Israeli soil resulted in the deaths of at least 1,160 people, the majority civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data.
Around 250 people were also kidnapped and, according to Israel, 130 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip, 31 of whom are believed to have died.
According to the White House official, the vice-president “will reiterate Israel’s right to defend itself in the face of continued terrorist threats from Hamas” but will also insist on “the urgency of reaching an agreement on the hostages, which would allow a temporary ceasefire, and the need to significantly increase aid to Gaza.
The vice-president will recall that “the United States is ready to do more to increase aid, in particular through the airdrops which began on Saturday” as well as a potential “maritime corridor to transport aid by sea”, he added.
Negotiations resumed on Sunday in Cairo with a view to obtaining a truce during Ramadan, the month of Muslim fasting which will begin on March 10 or 11 this year.
Criticized by part of his Democratic camp for his support for Israel, American President Joe Biden has gradually expressed concerns about the way in which the war is being conducted in Gaza.
Minister without portfolio and former Minister of Defense, Benny Gantz is a former rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his National Union party (center) is largely in the lead in voting intentions, at a time when the Israeli coalition government appears more and more fragile.