US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel and held marathon talks with PM Netanyahu. They announced a potential breakthrough in getting humanitarian aid to Gaza, with a plan to allow aid to reach civilians while keeping it from Hamas militants.
Blinken said it’s critical for aid to start flowing soon, but expressed concern Hamas may try to seize supplies. He announced Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday, where he’ll reiterate Hamas doesn’t represent Palestinians and discuss aid needs.
Israel continues airstrikes on Gaza and has 300,000 troops on the border, poised for a ground invasion. Defense Minister Gallant vowed a long war to defeat Hamas. Blinken assured Israel of continued US support for its right to defend itself.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have evacuated northern Gaza per Israel’s orders. Gaza faces a humanitarian crisis with no water, food or fuel allowed in. UNRWA said there aren’t enough body bags and over 1 million people have fled south, sheltering in schools unequipped for refugees.
The UN and Egypt are working on potentially opening a humanitarian corridor into Gaza. Death tolls are mounting on both sides. Israel says over 1400 of its citizens were captured by Hamas and taken hostage into Gaza.
Fighting risks spreading to Israel’s border with Lebanon. Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli army posts. Netanyahu warned Iran and Hezbollah not to test Israel in the north. Israel ordered evacuation of villages near the Lebanese border after Hezbollah attacks.
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