6-2-2024 (CAIRO) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on a visit to Egypt on Tuesday (Feb 6) as part of his ongoing Middle East crisis tour, aiming to secure a new ceasefire and a lasting resolution to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Overnight strikes and clashes in Gaza resulted in the deaths of at least 99 individuals, predominantly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory, which has endured nearly four months of relentless bombardment.
Concerns escalated for over a million Palestinians residing in the densely populated southern Rafah area as the battlefront edged closer in Israel’s campaign to dismantle Hamas following the Oct 7 attack.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant issued a warning on Monday, stating that the military “will reach places where we have not yet fought… right up to the last Hamas bastion, which is Rafah,” situated along the Egyptian border.
Blinken, undertaking his fifth regional tour since the onset of the deadliest Gaza conflict, was scheduled to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi following talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh a day earlier.
Later, Blinken is anticipated to visit Qatar and then Israel, aiming to garner support for a ceasefire agreement brokered in Paris in January but yet to be ratified by Hamas or Israel.
Israeli forces, backed by air and naval support, have been embroiled in intense urban warfare centred around Gaza’s principal southern city of Khan Younis, the hometown of Hamas’s Gaza leader, Yahya Sinwar, much of which now lies in ruins.
Sinwar stands accused by Israel of orchestrating the Oct 7 attack, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data. Militants also seized about 250 hostages, with 132 believed to still be in Gaza, including 28 presumed deceased.
Israel’s relentless military offensive has claimed the lives of at least 27,585 individuals in Gaza, predominantly women and children, as reported by the health ministry.
The army disclosed on Tuesday that “dozens of terrorists have been killed” over the past day, with around 80 individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activities apprehended, including several linked to the Oct 7 massacre.
Additionally, army snipers eliminated more than 15 militants, and a naval vessel targeted a “terrorist cell” with missiles, according to reports.
Overnight strikes rattled Khan Younis, with two air raids hitting Rafah, as observed by an AFP correspondent.
“One Palestinian, Mohamad Kozaat, expressed the sentiment shared by many: ‘No place is safe, no place at all – where shall we go?’ after six members of his family, including his daughter, were injured in an Israeli strike on the border town.”
The United States has provided robust support to its principal regional ally, Israel, both militarily and diplomatically. However, it has also urged measures to minimise civilian casualties and to ultimately progress towards a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
Blinken’s proposed ceasefire entails a six-week cessation of hostilities, with Hamas releasing hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, along with increased aid to Gaza, according to Hamas sources.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing internal dissent within his cabinet and public outrage over the fate of remaining hostages, rejected Hamas’s demands for an exchange involving thousands of prisoners, insisting that the terms be akin to the previous agreement in late November.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz conveyed to Netanyahu on Monday that “only a negotiated two-state solution would open up the prospect of a sustainable solution to the Middle East conflict.”
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, during his inaugural visit to the region, urged the prompt resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
Amid the Gaza conflict, unrest has erupted in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, where Iran-backed groups have launched assaults in solidarity with Hamas, prompting retaliatory strikes by Israel and its allies.
For weeks, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have targeted what they claim are Israel-linked vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in solidarity with Palestinians, disrupting global trade and prompting responses from US and British forces, including strikes on two “explosive-laden drone boats” on Monday, as reported by the US military.
The Houthis asserted on Tuesday that they had attacked US and British ships in separate incidents, one of which was corroborated by a security firm.
Blinken engaged in discussions with the Saudi crown prince on “regional coordination to achieve an enduring end to the crisis in Gaza” and “the urgent need to reduce regional tensions,” stated State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
Netanyahu asserted that “a complete victory will deal a fatal blow” not only to Hamas but also to other Iran-backed militant groups across the region.
