Intense fighting and aerial bombardment continued over the past week in southern and central Gaza, as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinkenmet with the Israeli government, on a regional tour aimed at reaching a consensus on the future of the Palestinian territory, and stopping an escalation of violence that threatens a prolonged war throughout the Middle East.
US officials assured that Blinken stressed to Benjamin NetanyahuPrime Minister of Israel, that his forces must avoid inflicting further harm on civilians in Gaza. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry based in Ramallah, Israeli army raids have killed tens of thousands since October 7, when the Hamas attack sparked the conflict.
Support
Matthew Miller, spokesman for the State Department, noted that Blinken had reaffirmed US support for Israelin his attempt to end the Hamas terrorist organization, but emphasized “the importance of preventing further harm to civilians and protecting infrastructure in Gaza.”
However, there were no signs of any ceasefire in the area, nor along the disputed border between Israel and Lebanon, where clashes with Hezbollah. The Islamist militant organization attacked a key Israeli base days ago, declaring that the raid was part of its response to recent Israeli killings in Lebanon. The Iran-backed group acknowledged launching “explosive attack drones” against Israel’s northern military command in Safed.
And an Israeli army spokesman clarified that the drone had fallen on the base, causing no damage or casualties: shortly after, Israel responded by killing four members of Hezbollah, including a commander of the elite Radwan force. Israel has exchanged missiles with Hezbollah on the Lebanese border for the past three months and, although analysts say both sides want to avoid a war, a small miscalculation on either side could trigger a larger scale war the entire Middle East.
Victims
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 23,210 people, mostly women and children, have been killed during Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Large areas of the territory have been devastated, with the majority of its 2.3 million inhabitants displaced and facing acute humanitarian crisis on the border with Egypt.
The Israeli military described its latest operations as “expanded ground incursions including airstrikes,” which took place in Khan Younis. And nine soldiers died in battle in Gaza, one of the largest losses recognized since Israel launched its offensive, after Hamas attacks that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in addition to the kidnapping of 250 hostages (Israel claims that 132 of them remain captive, although it is believed that 25 were murdered).
Of the soldiers who died, six were killed in a single explosion while trying to destroy a tunnel dug by Hamas under the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. And Israel’s military casualties in its offensive in Gaza now reach 185. After talking with the president of Israel, Isaac HerzogBlinken stressed “these are incredibly difficult times for Israel,” and highlighted “the tireless efforts to bring everyone home,” referring to the hostages still held by Hamas.
Alert
The top US diplomat expressed hope that, after the war, Israel can continue its efforts towards regional integration, following its normalization agreements negotiated by the United States with the Arab Emirates, Bahrain and others, about the end of the Trump era. Miller noted: “The secretary reiterated the need to ensure lasting and sustainable peace for Israel and the region, including through the creation of a Palestinian state.”
The United States has offered strong support to Israel since the outbreak of its war with Hamas, but Netanyahu has angered Washington by refusing to offer detailed public plans for the governance of Gaza when it ends. Israel’s military offensiveand by rejecting the preferred option of the United States: the creation of that unified Palestinian state that includes West Bank and Gaza.
U.S. officials said the Biden administration had drawn up detailed plans for how the transition could work, but that Netanyahu’s government remained opposed to such an outcome and was not engaging in discussions about the proposals. After meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Blinken concluded: “There are actually real opportunities, but we have to get through this very difficult time.”
Rhetoric
Ismail Haniyeh, political leader of Hamas, insists that the October 7 attack “came after an attempt to marginalize the Palestinian cause” and called on Muslim states “to support the resistance with weapons, because this… is not the battle of the Palestinian people alone.” Haniyeh spoke from Qatar, where he resides, and is protected and financed by the state.
In response, Israeli defense officials and military intelligence analysts said they expect fighting in Gaza to continue for at least a year. The Admiral Daniel Hagari, the IDF spokesman, clarified that central and southern Gaza, where military efforts are now concentrated, were “dense and saturated with terrorists” with “an underground city of branching tunnels.” And that it would take three months to clear the area. The Israeli military has claimed to have largely achieved military control over northern Gaza and that the war is now entering a new phase involving fewer troops and airstrikes.
Operations that increase civilian casualties and garner reproaches from the international community. Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister, highlighted the need for “less intensive” fighting. Sameh Shoukry, her Egyptian counterpart, said that “2 million Palestinians cannot remain trapped.” And the United States has repeatedly asked Netanyahu to rein in far-right ministers in his government, who have called for mass voluntary emigration of Palestinians from Gaza, rhetoric they called “inflammatory and unacceptable.”
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