The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinkenmeets this Tuesday with Israeli leaders seeking to avoid a regional spread of the war that has pitted Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza since October, the scene of continuous Israeli bombings.
(Also: New death toll in Gaza: more than 23,200 due to the war between Israel and Hamas)
Khan Yunis and Rafah, the largest cities in the south of the besieged Palestinian territory, were once again the target of intense shelling in the early hours of the morning, according to an AFP journalist. Both towns have hosted thousands of internally displaced people since the war began on October 7.
(You can read: UN experts demand that Hamas' sexual violence be punished)
The Israeli army announced that its troops killed 40 Islamist fighters in the last 24 hours, as part of “expanded ground operations including airstrikes” in Khan Younis. All types of weapons were also seized, he said.
The war between Israel and Hamas broke out after an unprecedented attack by the Islamist group in the south of the Hebrew State, which left nearly 1,140 dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on Israeli figures. The fighters also kidnapped about 250 people, of whom more than 100 are still held in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
(Keep reading: Hezbollah commander dies in bombing in Lebanon and tension grows in the Middle East)
In response, Israel vowed to “annihilate” Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, and launched a military ground and air offensive against the Palestinian territory.
The Islamist group, classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel and the European Union, claims that more than 23,210 people have died so far in Israeli bombings, mostly women and minors.
Smoke billows over Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip during an Israeli bombardment.
'Real opportunities' for integration
From Doha, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called on Muslim countries to send “weapons” to Gaza as a show of support. This is not “just the battle of the Palestinian people,” he justified.
Since the beginning of the war, fears of a spread of the conflict have intensified, with attacks launched by other enemies of Israel in the region, gathered in an informal alliance that includes pro-Iran groups from Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen.
(Keep reading: Netanyahu, in his most critical hours for the war in Gaza and his controversial reforms)
The Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah claimed on Tuesday to have attacked a military command center in northern Israel, in response to the deaths of Hamas' number two on January 2 and a senior member of its formation on Monday.
Blinken arrived in Israel in that context and is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the war cabinet, including opposition leader Benny Gantz. It is the fourth time he has visited the Middle East since the conflict began.
After a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, the Secretary of State highlighted the “difficult moment” that Israel is going through, but affirmed that the country has “real opportunities” for integration with its Arab neighbors.
(Also: Israel claims it dismantled Hamas' military structure in northern Gaza)
I think there are real opportunities, but we have to get through this very difficult time.
“I think there are real opportunities, but we have to overcome this very difficult moment,” he said after a meeting with the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel Katz, on the last leg of a tour that has taken him, among others, to Qatar and Saudi Arabia. .
The United States negotiated normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and other states. But negotiations were paralyzed after the outbreak of the conflict.
(You can read: Antony Blinken travels to the Middle East seeking to avoid a regional escalation of violence)
'Everyone in Gaza is hungry'
On Monday, warning sirens sounded in central and southern Israel, and on the border with Lebanon, the scene of daily firefights between Hezbollah and the Israeli army since October 8.
The Lebanese Shiite movement announced that day the death of Wisam Tawil, one of its “commanders”, in an Israeli bombing.
On January 2, another bombing attributed to Israel killed Hamas number two Saleh Al Aruri in a southern suburb of Beirut. And on Monday Hasan Akasha, another key figure in the Palestinian group, died in Syria.
(Also read: Strong criticism of Israel for suggesting that Palestinians should be displaced from Gaza)
In Gaza, Continued Israeli bombing displaced 85% of the population and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, according to the UN.
Humanitarian aid is trickling into the small Palestinian enclave, where the siege imposed by Israel prevents the entry of water, food, medicine and fuel.
The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem denounced that “everyone in Gaza is going hungry” as a “direct result of Israel's stated policy.”
(Also read: Israeli Supreme Court postpones the application of a law that shields Netanyahu from being challenged)
More than 360,000 reserve soldiers were mobilized after the war broke out on October 7.
Israeli Army/AFP
Washington reported that Blinken will pressure Israel to respect international law and ask for “immediate measures” to get more aid to Gaza.
US President Joe Biden declared on Monday that he had been working “quietly” with Israel “to significantly reduce [su presencia] and leave Gaza.”
(Also read: Half of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could die of hunger, warns the UN)
The Israeli army announced a new phase of its war in Gaza. The spokesman for the armed force, Daniel Hagari, indicated to the American newspaper New York Times that it would involve fewer bombings and a reduction in military personnel starting in January.
At least 185 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, the army announced Tuesday.
AFP
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