Blinken arrives in Israel as US looks to renew cease-fire efforts

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Tuesday on his 11th visit to the region since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

He is expected to meet with top officials as the United States looks to revive cease-fire efforts after the killing of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, but so far none of the warring parties appear to be backing down on longstanding demands.

Israel is still at war with Hamas more than a year after the group’s Oct. 7 attack, and with Hizbollah in Lebanon, where it launched a ground invasion earlier this month. Israel is also expected to strike Iran after its ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1.

Blinken landed just hours after Hizbollah launched a barrage of rockets into central Israel, setting off air raid sirens in the country’s most populated areas but causing no apparent damage or injuries. The Israeli military said it intercepted most of the five projectiles, with one landing in an open area.

Smoke billows over Beirut’s southern suburbs after an Israeli strike as seen from Baabda, Lebanon, on Tuesday. Reuters

The military said another 15 projectiles were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel at around the same time.

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have brokered months of talks between Israel and Hamas, trying to strike a deal in which the fighters would release dozens of hostages in return for an end to the war, a lasting cease-fire and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

But both Israel and Hamas accused each other of making new and unacceptable demands over the summer, and the talks ground to a halt in August.

The US has also tried to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hizbollah, but those efforts fell apart as tensions spiked last month with a series of Israeli strikes that killed the group’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and most of his senior commanders.

Palestinians walk down a street with their belongings after leaving their homes in Beit Lahia, Gaza, on Tuesday. AFP

Israel is currently waging another major operation in already-devastated northern Gaza, which has killed hundreds of Palestinians over the last two weeks according to local health authorities, who do not say how many were combatants.

In Lebanon, Israel has carried out waves of heavy airstrikes across southern Beirut and the country’s south and east, areas where Hizbollah has a strong presence. Hizbollah has fired hundreds of rockets, missiles and drones into Israel, including some that have reached the country’s populous center.

Hamas-led fighters stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 250 hostage. Around 100 of the captives are still held in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded tens of thousands, according to local health authorities, who do not say how many were combatants. It has also caused massive devastation across the territory and displaced around 90% of its population of 2.3 million.

Associated Press