Antony Blinken’s mission is complicated by Israel’s insistence that there can be no temporary ceasefire until all hostages held by Hamas are released.
Israel’s military has hit the family home of the exiled leader of Hamas on the outskirts of Gaza City with an air strike and pressed ahead with attacks across the besieged enclave where a humanitarian crisis is rapidly worsening.
Mr Guterres said he had not forgotten the slaughter of civilians at the hands of Hamas militants when they launched their attack on Israel almost a month ago, but said civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected.He also said civilians must not be used as human shields, and called upon Hamas to release all of the roughly 240 hostages it has.
Despite those warnings, Israel has continued striking in the south, saying it is targeting Hamas members, but bombs are also killing entire families. The military said there were also numerous attacks staged from tunnels on Israeli forces in the northern Gaza Strip. So far, Hezbollah has taken calculated steps to show backing for Hamas without igniting an all-out war that would be devastating for Lebanon and Israel.
Arab leaders have so far resisted American suggestions that they play a larger role in the crisis, expressing outrage at the civilian toll of the Israeli military operations but believing Gaza to be a problem largely of Israel’s own making. The overall toll is likely to rise dramatically as the assault on densely built-up Gaza City continues.
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