Blinken mediates post-war plan in Gaza; Attacks between Israel and Hezbollah are intensifying

First change: 01/09/2024 – 14:57

5 minutes

The United States strengthens its diplomatic stance against the war in Gaza, while Israel hardens its military offensive.

This Tuesday, January 9, the Israeli army indicated that it has expanded its ground operations in Khan Younis and Rafah, the largest cities in the south of the besieged Palestinian territory, filled with internally displaced people. The troops indicated that they had killed 40 Hamas members there in the past few hours, “in an extensive ground operation that included airstrikes.”

“Dozens of terrorists were killed (…) a large amount of weapons and underground terrorist tunnels were located,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) added, although this information has not been independently verified.

Incessant attacks on the Gaza Strip leave thousands of civilians without places to seek refuge. In the last 24 hours alone, 126 people lost their lives and 241 were injured, bringing the total death toll to 23,210 since October 7, the enclave’s health ministry reported on Tuesday.

total, 59,167 Palestinians have been injured since the conflict escalated. Amidst the severe difficulties in accessing medical care, as the majority of hospitals are not functioning after the attack, as well as due to lack of water, energy and medical supplies.

Amidst this panorama, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Israel, trying to mediate with his allies and other leaders of neighboring regions to prevent the ongoing war in the region from becoming a major confrontation.

Blinken mediates in Israel about the war in Gaza

In his fourth visit since the conflict escalated three months ago, United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is mediating with Washington’s greatest ally in the Middle East. The diplomat met in Israel this Tuesday with President Isaac Herzog and later with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; An interview in which It seeks to prevent a possible expansion of the conflict beyond the borders with the Palestinian enclave and advance plans for Gaza after the end of ongoing hostilities.

Blinken – who arrived in Tel Aviv after a trip to Greece, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan – noted that he had secured commitments from four Arab nations and Ankara to help rebuild the Gaza Strip after the war. Those countries refused to commit without first deterring attacks on the besieged coastal strip.

“What I found at virtually every stop was the willingness of all the countries involved to do important things to help stabilize and rebuild Gaza. “I’ve heard that everywhere and we’re going to work together is one of the things that Countries are ready to do something special,” Blinken declared on the evening of Monday, January 8, as he left Saudi Arabia for Israel.

The top representative of American diplomacy has already assured that it will press Netanyahu’s government on the “absolute imperative” to do more to protect the citizens of Gaza and to allow humanitarian aid to reach them.

For his part, President Joe Biden noted on the eve of Blinken’s meetings in Israel that his administration is pressuring Israel to begin withdrawing some of its forces.

But the scope of those interventions is still unclear. Just two weeks ago, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant declared that the war in Gaza would last “several more months” and that troops on the ground were intensifying the siege, which has left a population of 2.4 million people devastated and in dire straits. Desolation, starvation and unsanitary conditions.

Washington’s efforts to prevent an escalation of the war in Gaza face further challenges amid a crossfire on Israel’s border with Lebanon and a Houthi offensive in the Red Sea.

Israel Kills Three Hezbollah Members in Lebanon; Fears of regional conflict are on the rise

Three Hezbollah fighters, the Shiite group that supports Hamas from Lebanon, were killed in an Israeli attack this Tuesday, when the vehicle they were traveling in was hit, in the city of Ghandouriyeh in southern Lebanese territory.

Israeli soldiers described their warplanes as attacking “terrorist infrastructure” in southern Lebanon.

Soon the answer came from the other side of the border. An Iranian-backed Shiite movement attacked an Israeli army base in Safed with explosive drones, the first time it had arrived.

Hezbollah claimed it was a revenge attack for the killing of Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut last week, and in response to the killing of a Hezbollah commander on Monday.

Although an Israeli army spokesman confirmed the attack on their positions, he assured that there were no reports of damage or casualties.

Since hostilities erupted in Gaza on October 7 due to a Hamas attack against Israel, fears of an escalation of the conflict have grown. Israel, backed by the United States, faces armed groups backed by Iran in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

With Reuters, AFP and AP