Blinken starts Mideast tour to press for Gaza truce

On his fifth trip to the region since Hamas's October 7 attack thattriggered the war, Blinken landed in Riyadh and was later expected to visitIsrael and mediators Egypt and Qatar.
Ahead of the trip he stressed the need for "urgently addressinghumanitarian needs in Gaza", after aid groups have repeatedly sounded the alarmover the devastating impact nearly four months of war have had on the besiegedGaza Strip.
"The situation is indescribable," said Said Hamouda, a Palestinian who fledhis home to the southern Gaza city of Rafah on the border with Egypt.
Dubbed a "pressure cooker of despair" by the United Nations, Rafah nowhosts more than half of Gaza's population, displaced due to Israel's assault.
Over the weekend, Israel pressed further south towards the densely-crowdedborder city, warning that its ground forces could advance on Rafah as part ofthe campaign to eradicate Hamas.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "a complete victory willdeal a fatal blow" to Hamas but also to other Iran-backed militant groupsacross the region.
At least 128 people were killed in Israeli strikes overnight to Monday,according to the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.Witnesses told AFP they heard artillery shelling in the areas of easternRafah and Khan Yunis, where Israel believes high-ranking Hamas officials arehiding.
Hamas reported Israeli bombardment across the centre and south of thecoastal strip, and the group's armed wing said its militants attacked troopsnear Gaza City.
The Israeli military said forces in northern and central Gaza had killed"hundreds of terrorists" over the past week, and were engaging with Hamasmilitants in the Khan Yunis.
- Diplomatic push -
Blinken is expected to discuss a truce framework not yet signed off on byeither Hamas or Israel.
The protracted diplomatic efforts have become more urgent with a surge inattacks across the region by Iran-backed Hamas allies, triggeringcounterattacks by the United States and its partners.
The war was sparked by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel,which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, accordingto an AFP tally based on official figures.
Militants also seized around 250 hostages. Israel says 132 remain in Gaza-- including 28 believed to have been killed, according to updated figures fromthe prime minister's office.
Israel launched a massive military offensive that has killed at least27,478 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory'shealth ministry.
The proposed truce would pause fighting for an initial six weeks as Hamasfrees hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and moreaid enters Gaza, according to a Hamas source.
Netanyahu, who has faced divisions within his cabinet and public fury overthe fate of the remaining hostages, said Israel "will not accept" demands madeby Hamas for an exchange.
The premier's Likud party quoted him as saying the terms "should be similarto the previous agreement", which saw a ratio of captives exchanged forPalestinian prisoners during a November truce.
As Gazans have suffered dire humanitarian conditions, the UN agency forPalestinian refugees, UNRWA, is facing a major controversy after accusationsthat 12 staff members were involved in Hamas's attack.
- 'Tragic' conditions -
More than a dozen countries, led by top donors the United States andGermany, suspended their funding to the aid agency after the claims surfaced.
Spain however said it would give an additional 3.5 million euros ($3.8million) "so that UNRWA can maintain its activities in the short term", saidForeign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres announced the creation of anindependent panel to assess UNRWA and "whether the agency is doing everythingwithin its power to ensure neutrality", a UN statement said.
Jordan's King Abdullah II urged donors to maintain support for the agency"to allow it to provide its vital humanitarian services... particularly inlight of the tragic humanitarian situation in Gaza", a royal statement said.
In a meeting with Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan inAmman, the two leaders urged the protection of civilians in Gaza and called tointensify efforts towards a lasting ceasefire and a "political solution" to theconflict, the statement said.
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, on his first visit to the regionsince taking office, said peace will only be achieved through diplomacy, urgingthe resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks "without delay".
Since the Gaza war broke out, violence has surged across the regionincluding on the Israel-Lebanon border where the military reported Monday moreexchanges with Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, reports BSS.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Sejourne that "time is running out" toreach a solution, warning of military action in the Lebanon border area "toreturn the evacuated citizens" if diplomacy fails.
Stating his case for a "complete victory" in Gaza, Netanyahu said thatwithout it displaced Israelis "will not return, the next massacre will only bea matter of time, and Iran, Hezbollah and others will simply celebrate."