Blinken visiting Israel with focus on deescalating conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to meet with Israeli leaders Tuesday as he makes a push to revive stalled Gaza cease-fire talks, enable greater humanitarian access to Gaza and deescalate the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Hours before the talks, Hezbollah said it fired rockets at Israeli military bases near Tel Aviv and Haifa, while Israel said it intercepted projectiles fired from Lebanon.

Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli attack Tuesday near Beirut’s main government hospital killed at least 13 people and wounded 57 others.

The Israeli military said it hit multiple Hezbollah targets in Beirut, including the central base for the militant group’s naval force.

Making his 11th visit to the region since the conflict in Gaza erupted in October 2023, Blinken’s schedule Tuesday includes talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Months of negotiations brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar failed to secure a halt in the fighting in Gaza and the release of hostages still being held by Hamas.

Blinken is also expected to make several other stops in the region, including a visit Wednesday to Jordan.

The State Department official said that without a cease-fire, discussions with Arab leaders would include trying to refine proposals for governing Gaza once the conflict ends. The official said the U.S. side has elements of a post-conflict plan it was ready to discuss directly with the Israelis as well.

Nimrod Goren, senior fellow for Israeli Affairs at the Middle East Institute, told VOA that gaps between Israeli and Hamas positions on any potential cease-fire terms “still very much exist” and that he doubts there will be a diplomatic breakthrough during Blinken’s visit.

“The gaps are major, basically Israel wants Hamas not to govern Gaza anymore and not to exist in Gaza anymore as a security threat, and Hamas wants the opposite. So, beyond the immediate issue of the hostages, the deep interests and needs of each side are in contrast to each other,” Goren said.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, called Tuesday for an immediate halt in fighting, “even if for a few hours,” to allow for families in northern Gaza to be able to evacuate to safer areas.

“Nearly three weeks of non-stop bombardments from the Israeli Forces as the death toll increases,” Lazzarini said in a statement. “In northern Gaza, people are just waiting to die. They feel deserted, hopeless and alone. They live from one hour to the next, fearing death at every second.”

He said U.N. staff “cannot find food, water or medical care.”

Iran-backed Hezbollah launched aerial attacks against Israel following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel. Hamas killed about 1,200 people and captured about 250 others.

Israel’s counteroffensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 42,600 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between militants and civilians in its count.

The United States, United Kingdom, European Union and others have designated Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations.

Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.