US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken expressed hope that newly elected Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has the full power to ensure an agreement is reached to end the war with Israel in Gaza, the Associated Press reported. quoted by News.bg.
The Palestinian armed group elected Sinwar as its political leader on Tuesday. At his announcement, he was portrayed as the mastermind behind the October 7 attacks on Israel. Sinwar takes over after Ismail Haniyeh was killed on July 31 in Iran in a suspected Israeli strike.
An increase in tension in the region followed - Iran accused Israel and warned it to expect revenge. Also, last week Israel killed a top commander of "Hezbollah" in Lebanon, which further strained the situation in the Middle East.
This prompted US President Joe Biden to speak with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah Sisi, expressing hope that a ceasefire agreement could be reached to ease tensions in the region.
At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced over the weekend that Israel is now waging war on many fronts, targeting Iran and its backers.
Gaza is facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with Israel imposing restrictions on distressed civilians' access to vital medical, food and other supplies. The Ministry of Health of the Palestinian Authority reports that the dead in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war are nearly 40,000 people.