FLASH NEWS
Israel expands war targets, directs attention to Hezbollah attacks
2024-09-17 20:34:08 / BOTA
ALFA PRESS
Israel announced on Tuesday the expansion of the war's objectives, including the creation of conditions for the return of residents of northern Israel to their homes. Israelis were evacuated from the area due to clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants along the Israel-Lebanon border.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the security cabinet made the decision Monday evening.
Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, launched almost daily attacks soon after the war in Gaza began. This war forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran, has said it will stop attacks if there is a ceasefire deal for Gaza.
Efforts to reach this ceasefire have dragged on for months, with officials from the United States, Egypt and Qatar trying to find terms acceptable to both Israel and Hamas.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Egypt on Tuesday amid ongoing efforts to engage key Middle East partners to present a revised ceasefire proposal.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Monday, "We continue to engage with our partners in the region, particularly Egypt and Qatar, on what the proposal will contain and we are working to come up with a proposal that can to bring the parties closer to a final agreement".
The United States has not given a timeline for the revised proposal, although officials have indicated it will be presented soon. The proposal aims to resolve the main issues behind the recent impasse, aiming to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas militants at the start of the war on October 7, 2023.
Secretary Blinken is expected to meet with regional officials, however, his trip does not include a stop in Israel for talks with its leaders.
Secretary Blinken met Monday in Washington with Yair Lapid, the opposition leader and former prime minister of Israel.
After the meeting, Mr. Lapid told reporters that Israel needs an agreement to release the hostages and end the war in Gaza, stressing that no political process or unrest should affect the agreement. Mr. Lapid urged Washington not to allow Hamas to "bypass a hostage deal."
Humanitarian efforts
At the United Nations Security Council, Sigrid Kaag, the UN humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, gave a somber press conference on the situation of Palestinian civilians.
"Time is running out as the man-made humanitarian crisis has turned Gaza into an abyss," she said. "We need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and an unhindered and continuous humanitarian approach to deliver aid throughout the Gaza Strip."
Data from the UN's humanitarian affairs office show that the number of aid trucks entering Gaza each day has steadily decreased. In April, according to the UN, 169 trucks per day entered Gaza. That dropped to 69 trucks per day in August and just 62 trucks per day during the first nine days of September.
Israel denies that it blocks aid shipments.
"We have gone above and beyond our obligations, aiming to improve the welfare of a civilian population trapped inside the enemy," said Israel's UN ambassador, Danny Danon.
Hamas sparked the conflict with its October 2023 attack in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 250 individuals hostage. Israel's military response in Gaza has, according to unconfirmed data from independent sources, killed more than 41,200 Palestinians. In this number of dead, Israel says that several thousand militant fighters are included./ VOA
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