Blinken in Qatar on tour to seek 'enduring end' to Gaza war

The US top envoy was later bound for Israel, hoping to shore up support for atruce deal that was hashed out in Paris in January but has not yet beensigned off on by either Hamas or Israel.
Heavy strikes and fighting in Gaza killed at least 107 people in 24 hours,said the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory that has been underalmost four months of bombardment.
Fears grew for more than a million Palestinians crowded into the far southernRafah area as the battlefront draws ever closer in Israel's campaign toeradicate Hamas over the October 7 attack.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned on Monday that the military"will reach places where we have not yet fought... right up to the last Hamasbastion, which is Rafah", on the Egyptian border.
Palestinian Raed al-Bardani, 32, who has been displaced multiple times andnow lives in Rafah with his wife and four children, charged that "the goal isto destroy Rafah because it is the only area that the occupation has not yetdestroyed".
"Where will we go if they storm Rafah?" he asked.
Blinken -- on his fifth regional tour since the bloodiest ever Gaza war brokeout -- earlier met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, a dayafter he held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.
Blinken and Sisi "discussed ongoing efforts to secure the release of allhostages held by Hamas," said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
The US envoy also "expressed appreciation for Egypt's leadership role infacilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians inGaza".
And Blinken emphasised Washington's "rejection of any forced displacement ofPalestinians from Gaza and commitment to establishing a Palestinian statethat provides peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike", Millersaid.
- 'Beyond catastrophic' -
Israeli troops, with air and naval support, have been engaged in heavy combatcentred on Gaza's main southern city of Khan Yunis, the hometown of Hamas'sGaza chief, Yahya Sinwar, much of which has been reduced to rubble.
Israel accuses Sinwar of masterminding the October 7 attack, which resultedin the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFPtally based on official figures.
Militants also seized around 250 hostages. Israel says 132 remain in Gazaincluding 28 who are believed to have been killed.
Israel's withering military campaign has killed at least 27,585 people inGaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry.
The army said Tuesday that "over the past day, dozens of terrorists have beenkilled and approximately 80 individuals suspected of involvement in terroristactivity have been apprehended, including a number of terrorists that tookpart in the October 7 massacre".
"No place is safe, no place at all -- where shall we go?" one Palestinian,Mohamad Kozaat, said after six members of his family were wounded in anIsraeli strike on Rafah.
"The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is beyond catastrophic," saidTommaso Della Longa, spokesman for the International Federation of Red Crossand Red Crescent Societies.
He said around 8,000 displaced people had been evacuated from the besiegedAl-Amal hospital in Khan Yunis, where they had sought refuge, after weeks ofheavy shelling and fighting nearby.
The United States has strongly backed its top regional ally Israel withmunitions and diplomatic support, but also urged steps to reduce civiliancasualties.
The truce Blinken is hoping to seal proposes a six-week pause to fighting asHamas frees hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel andmore aid for Gaza, according to a Hamas source.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced divisions within hiscabinet and public fury over the fate of the remaining hostages, said Israel"will not accept" demands Hamas has made for an exchange involving thousandsof prisoners.
- Huthi attacks -
As the Gaza war has raged, violence has also flared in Lebanon, Iraq, Syriaand Yemen, where Iran-backed groups have launched attacks in support ofHamas, triggering counterattacks by Israel and the United States and itspartners.
Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot, on a visit to Iraq, recalled thatUS President Joe Biden had "made it clear not to seek further escalation, andthat is crucial. I call on all actors to do the same."
The Israeli army said strikes from Lebanon lightly wounded two soldiers andthat it retaliated with artillery "and struck the sources of the fire". Itsfighter jets had also targeted Hezbollah bases near Marwahin and Meiss ElJabal in southern Lebanon.
Yemen's Iran-backed Huthis have for weeks been targeting what they say areIsrael-linked ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in solidarity withPalestinians.
The attacks have disrupted global trade and prompted reprisals by US andBritish forces, including strikes on two "explosive-laden drone boats" onMonday, according to the US military.
The Huthis said Tuesday they had struck US and British commercial ships intwo separate attacks.
Huthi spokesman Yahya Saree said "the first attack targeted the American shipStar Nasia, while the other targeted the British ship Morning Tide".
Netanyahu vowed on Monday that "a complete victory will deal a fatal blow"not just to Hamas but also to other Iran-backed militant groups across theregion.