Blinken also used his time in Moldova to warn Israel about a lack of so-called “day after plan” for Gaza.
Israeli officials have not yet offered a clear vision for such a plan, but has indicated its plans to maintain a security presence in the enclave indefinitely.
Blinken warned that any plan that sees Israel remain in control would only lead to a “lasting insurgency”. He also said that Hamas cannot remain in power, but that a lack of a clear path forward will lead to “chaos, lawlessness, and a vacuum”.
He said Israel must assess how much “further incremental gains against Hamas, but gains that may not be durable…stacks up against some of the, again, unintended, but horrific consequences of military action in a place where the people you’re going after are so closely embedded with civilians.”
He said the mass civilian deaths in Rafah underscore the “the imperative, the urgency of having a clear plan”.
<Aljazeera>>