Blinken meets Netanyahu in Israel to fully intensify the attack on Gaza. international

On his 11th visit to the region since the beginning of the war, the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, arrived in Israel this Tuesday in an attempt to revive faint hopes of a possible ceasefire in Gaza, while the conflict continues in Lebanon and The attacks in the belt have intensified. Blinken arrived in the region less than a week after Israel killed Hamas leader Yahia Sinwar in the Palestinian territories.

The head of US diplomacy has asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in Jerusalem to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the death of the radical leader to promote a ceasefire and the release of hostages, according to the department’s words. State spokesman, Matthew Miller.

Blinken also noted the need for Israel to take new steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in the enclave and draw up a plan for the future of Gaza and the Palestinians after the war ends. Similarly, the two leaders addressed a possible diplomatic solution to the war in Lebanon, a country that continues to be hit by daily aerial bombardment and which has already been invaded by Israeli ground troops.

The statement about the meeting issued by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office made no reference to the humanitarian crisis in the Strip; It mentions the offensive in the enclave (where over 42,700 deaths and over 100,000 injured have already been recorded) and the post-war scenario, the war in Lebanon, the pending release of hostages at the hands of Hamas, and the response. Which is being prepared with the knowledge of Washington after the missile attack by Iran on October 1. Israel has thanked the United States for expressing “deep shock” over the drone strike launched last week by Hezbollah against Netanyahu’s private residence and which was described as an assassination attempt. According to local media, this Tuesday, authorities believed that one of the devices directly struck the presidential residence located in Caesarea, north of Tel Aviv.

The optimism generated even in the White House about the opportunity to seek a ceasefire after the elimination of Yahia Sinwar by Israeli troops has not yet moved beyond the level of wishful thinking. At the ground level, Netanyahu’s orders are to maintain the highest level of military pressure in Gaza. In the past few hours, the Israeli army has issued a new order for the forced evacuation of residents of the city of Beit Lahiya in the north. In addition, there are images of groups of Gazans pushed southwards by troops occupying the northern territory, in what the UN continues to condemn as a lack of the most basic things for survival – water, food and medical care. Due to the blockade imposed by Israel.

In his visits to the region since the war began on October 7, 2023, Blinken has attempted to dissuade the warring parties from their positions. So far, there has been only a one-week ceasefire at the end of last November, when hostages were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. Jalil Khaya, a Hamas political official, said Sinwar’s disappearance would not help efforts to establish a ceasefire that would allow the release of detainees. In fact, one of the unknowns is who is going to take over the reins of negotiations for the movement, which has yet to name Sinwar’s successor.

Meanwhile, the situation in the strip continues to worsen. Philippe, the head of the UN agency for humanitarian aid, condemned in a statement, “The smell of death is everywhere, bodies lie scattered on the streets or under the debris, and missions to retrieve bodies or provide humanitarian aid “It is being denied.” Lazzarini, via his X account (formerly Twitter). “In northern Gaza, people are just waiting to die,” he says, calling for a ceasefire, “even if it’s only a few hours.”

Hamas government health officials have reported at least 115 deaths over the past two days and confirmed in a statement that Kamal Adwan hospital, one of the north’s three main hospitals, is in “beyond catastrophic” condition. , One of its entrances was hit by bombs from Israeli drones, which failed to explode, while bullets were fired at the upper floors, he said. The Red Cross from Gaza City also warns about the situation of the civilian population and the danger to its teams working in the area.

More than 12 months of war has caused growth rates in the strip to fall to 1950 levels and gross domestic product to fall by 35%, according to a study by the United Nations Development Agency (UNDP), Reuters agency reports. Poverty is now almost 100% and unemployment at 80%; Economic recovery will not come for at least a decade.

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Shortly before Blinken arrived in Israel, who will also visit Jordan, Egypt and Qatar, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for missile attacks on a military facility in Tel Aviv and a naval base in Haifa – Israel’s first and third such attacks, respectively. Is the city. Due to which there has been no damage or death, but the country has become alert.

On that northern front, the Israeli Air Force continues to attack various Hezbollah targets in Lebanese territory. At least 18 people were killed and dozens injured in a bomb blast near Beirut’s Rafik Hariri public hospital on Tuesday morning, according to the Health Ministry. The government has reported at least 63 deaths from Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 2,530.

White House special envoy Amos Hochstein visited Lebanon on Monday with new Israeli demands, according to media. AxiosIsrael wants freedom of action in Lebanese airspace and for its forces to participate in the “active implementation” of Security Council Resolution 1,701. This ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 and strengthened the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon.