U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to renew ceasefire negotiations to bring an end to the ongoing war in Gaza and has called for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into the Palestinian territories.
Blinken arrived in Israel on Tuesday for his 11th visit to the Middle East since the conflict in Gaza began over a year ago. It marks his first trip to the region since Israel escalated tensions with Hezbollah last month. However, his visit faced immediate challenges as Hezbollah launched medium-range missiles towards Tel Aviv, briefly closing Ben Gurion Airport where Blinken landed, according to Israeli reports.
During his meeting in Jerusalem, Blinken urged Netanyahu to build on Israel’s recent military success, particularly the assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, to end the war in Gaza.
Blinken “highlighted the importance of capitalizing on the success of Israel’s efforts to bring Yahya Sinwar to justice by securing the release of all hostages and achieving a lasting resolution to the conflict in Gaza that ensures long-term security for both Israelis and Palestinians,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said after the talks. He also stressed the need for Israel to facilitate greater humanitarian aid to Gaza and to ensure that relief reaches civilians across the region.
Netanyahu’s office commented that Sinwar’s death “could positively impact the return of hostages, the fulfillment of all war objectives, and the post-war period.”
However, no discussion of a ceasefire was reported, despite a year of conflict that has severely weakened Hamas’s military capacity and devastated Gaza, leaving much of the territory in ruins and displacing most of its 2.3 million inhabitants.
The State Department also mentioned that Blinken and Netanyahu discussed ways to implement a long-stalled 2006 UN resolution, originally passed after the last Israel-Hezbollah conflict, which would restore peace and stability along the Israel-Lebanon border, allowing displaced civilians to return to their homes.
Despite these talks, Hezbollah refused to enter negotiations with Israel while hostilities continue. The group claimed responsibility for a drone attack targeting Netanyahu’s holiday residence on Saturday. In his remarks, Netanyahu emphasized the need for changes in Lebanon’s security and political landscape to ensure the safety of Israelis who have been affected by Hezbollah’s rocket attacks.
Strategic Shift
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group in Lebanon, has intensified over recent weeks following a year of cross-border clashes.
Earlier on Tuesday, Hezbollah announced that it had launched rockets at two Israeli military bases near Tel Aviv and a naval base in Haifa. Israel declared a state of emergency in the Tel Aviv region, and emergency services reported that a man was injured by falling debris in Ma’agan Michael, a northern town.
“This is the first instance of Hezbollah using medium-range missiles,” reported Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan from southern Lebanon’s Hasbaiyya region. He also noted that Hezbollah recently vowed to change its strategy in its confrontations with Israel, suggesting that the group may employ these weapons more frequently in the future.
In Lebanon, the Ministry of Public Health confirmed that 18 people, including four children, were killed and at least 60 others were injured in an overnight Israeli airstrike near Rafik Hariri University Hospital in southern Beirut.
Limited Optimism
The escalation of violence underscored the limited expectations for Blinken’s visit to bring significant progress.
“The tone from Prime Minister Netanyahu and others in the Israeli government, as well as the opposition, remains defiant, making diplomatic progress an uphill battle,” reported Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Jamjoom from Amman, Jordan.
Nonetheless, former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin expressed hope that Blinken’s visit might help pave the way for a ceasefire. “It’s truly time to end this war. We are all paying a heavy price and suffering,” Beilin told.
Following his visit to Israel, Blinken is set to travel to Jordan on Wednesday, where he plans to discuss humanitarian aid for Gaza, according to an official traveling with him.
