Bloodbath in Gaza continued unabated on Wednesday with Israel and Hamas refusing to back down in the conflict that has killed over 660 Palestinians and 31 Israelis, even as US Secretary of State John Kerry said his ceasefire negotiations in Jerusalem were making progress.
Several international airlines on Wednesday halted flights to Israel indefinitely, citing security concerns after a rocket from Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip landed near Israel’s biggest airport, Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv.
Kerry flew into Tel Aviv from Cairo despite US warnings over airline safety and held hectic parleys in Jerusalem, also meeting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “We have certainly made some steps forward, but there is still work to be done,” Kerry said. Kerry, during his whirlwind tour of the region, will also meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas.
On US President Barack Obama’s direction, Kerry on Tuesday held talks with Egyptian and Arab league officials in Cairo to push for an “immediate cessation of hostilities”.
Ban also voiced guarded hope for ending the violence, as efforts to broker a truce in the the 16-day conflict hastened. “We are now joining our forces in strength to make a ceasefire as soon as possible, but there is still some detailed way which we have to make,” he said.