US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Sunday that “it was necessary to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to end the violence as soon as possible.”

In an interview with the US network ABC, he added that the two-state solution is “the only way to guarantee the future of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state,” and also “the only way to grant the Palestinians the state they are entitled to.”

Blinken pointed out that after 11 days of military escalation, it was important to cease fire, in order to build “something more positive,” and now everyone has to “deal with the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and the reconstruction.”

He stressed the importance of starting “to make real improvements in people’s lives, so that Israelis and Palestinians can live equally in security, peace and dignity.”

At the end of last week, Israel and Hamas halted a round of violence and exchange of rockets, which caused the death of more than 250 people and hundreds of wounded

And on the Iranian file Blinken  said the United States has not seen yet whether Iran will do what it needs to do to come into compliance with its nuclear commitments in order to have sanctions lifted.
“Iran, I think, knows what it needs to do to come back into compliance on the nuclear side, and what we haven’t yet seen is whether Iran is ready and willing to make a decision to do what it has to do. That’s the test and we don’t yet have an answer,” Blinken told ABC News’ “This Week With George Stephanopoulos” program.