US Secretary of State in Israel trying to limit the conflict

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with Israeli officials on Tuesday in an effort to prevent the war in the Gaza Strip from turning into a regional conflict, at a time when the Israeli army announced that its fight against Hamas will continue throughout the year.

Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv late Monday evening to brief Israeli officials on his two-day talks with Arab leaders on ending the war that broke out after the Hamas militant attack on Israel, which Tel Aviv says led to the killing of about 1,200 people on October 7.

Blinken said he would press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government on the urgent need to do more to protect civilians and to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those who need it.

The Israeli attack led to the death of more than 23,000 Palestinians, the destruction of a large part of the Gaza Strip, and the displacement of most of the population of 2.3 million people, which exacerbated the humanitarian crisis.

In another sign of the expanding scope of the war, Israel killed a senior Hezbollah leader in southern Lebanon yesterday, Monday, according to sources familiar with the group’s operations.

Informed sources told Reuters that Israel is also carrying out an unprecedented wave of deadly strikes in Syria targeting cargo trucks, infrastructure, and people involved in transferring Iranian weapons to Tehran’s agents in the region.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant told the Wall Street Journal that his country is determined to end Hamas’ rule of Gaza and deter other Iran-backed adversaries.

Netanyahu pledged to continue the campaign until Hamas is destroyed, but he is under increasing pressure from the United States, his country’s closest ally, and from Arab leaders to reduce the offensive.

US President Joe Biden said that he was working quietly to encourage Israel to reduce its attacks and significantly exit Gaza.

On Monday, Biden faced protesters chanting “Stop shooting now” while visiting a historic black church in South Carolina.

Israeli officials said that the operation enters a new phase of the most targeted war, but the fighting didn’t subside, Monday.

Israeli army spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said that a different mix of forces was pursuing Hamas fighters in the north, while central Gaza and around the southern city of Khan Yunis were witnessing intense operational activity.

“We’re fighting difficult battles in the center and the south,” Hagari said.

He added, “The fighting will continue throughout 2024”.

As for the Us secretary of State, Blinken said that Israel should allow displaced Palestinian civilians to return to their homes in Gaza, in response to calls by right-wing members of Israel’s ruling coalition for them to move elsewhere.

This is Blinken’s fourth visit to the region since October.

He headed to Tel Aviv after talks in the UAE and Saudi Arabia to try to chart a way out of the bloodiest chapter ever in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi city of al Ula, Blinken said he continues to find support among Arab leaders for Israel’s goal of normalizing relations.

However, Blinken, who held talks in Jordan and Qatar on Sunday, said that requires an end to the conflict in Gaza and a practical path to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The Saudi Crown Prince, stressed the importance of stopping hostilities and paving a path to peace, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman stressed the need to guarantee the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.