Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State, arrived in Turkey on Friday on his fourth visit to the region since Hamas launched its attacks on Israel last year.
This is a wave of visits It reflects growing international concern about the ongoing war in the country Gaza Risks of escalation into a broader regional conflict.
The United States vetoed the latest UN Security Council resolutions to end the conflict to allow Israel time to achieve its political goals.
The international community overwhelmingly believes that a two-state solution is the only way to bring peace to the region, but it is becoming increasingly clear that such an end state does not have the support of NATO. Israel.
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Israel outlines post-war Gaza plan
despite of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant He begins by outlining what the “day after” the end of the war might look like, which is very vague and lacking in detail, and appears to be an Israeli solution rather than international, including Palestinian, cooperation.
Although the United States had hoped the conflict would come to an end by Christmas last year, Israel reiterated that the war would only end once. agitation It was destroyed.
The IDF believes it has killed or captured 9,000 Hamas fighters out of a pre-war total believed to be around 30,000.
This leaves more than two-thirds of Hamas fighters still at large, which likely explains why Israel believes the conflict may continue for at least another year.
Israel says there are still about 130 Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, who were captured in the October 7 Hamas raids, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 240 were taken hostage.
Since then, more than 22,400 people have been killed by the Israeli response, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza.
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Doctor: '5%' of the injuries of the people of Gaza
The risks of escalation in Lebanon, Yemen and the Red Sea
Hamas is no match for the IDF militarily, but if the conflict escalates into a regional war, pressure will increase on the United States to exert its influence to end the war.
Iran funds Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and it is this influence that is being exploited to intensify pressure on the United States.
The Israeli border with Lebanon witnessed regular exchanges of fire between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.
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Hezbollah leader warns Israel
However, following the assassination of the deputy military commander of Hamas Saleh al-Arouri On January 2 in southern Beirut, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to avenge the attack.
Earlier on Saturday, Hezbollah fired 62 missiles at an Israeli observation point, prompting an Israeli fighter jet to respond with an attack on what the Israeli military claims is a Hezbollah command center.
in the red sea, The Iran-backed Houthis It caused disruption to global shipping.
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The Red Sea crisis hits high-end brands
Huge crowds gathered in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Friday, to commemorate the killing of 10 Houthi fighters who were attacking a Maersk-class commercial ship when a US military helicopter intervened.
American forces stationed in the Middle East to prevent the resurgence of ISIS have also been subjected to repeated attacks, as the United States has 900 soldiers in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq.
The conflict in Gaza has also distracted the world's attention and support Ukraine is in its war with Russia.
All of this increases pressure on the United States to find a way to achieve this Israel-Hamas war To an extent to stop the ongoing escalation in the region.
Blinken is facing difficulties in finding a solution for all parties
The longer the war in Gaza lasts, the greater the risk of a broader conflict.
But it is not clear what the desired final status is for Israel.
Rumors abound that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is unable to agree on a future governance model for the region, and if not a two-state solution, then what is the solution?
Read more:
How the tentacles of war could embroil the Middle East in further conflict
Israel is on high alert in anticipation of attacks from Lebanon
Hamas holds Israel responsible for the “cowardly assassination”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with some members of his government. Photo: AP
The model imposed by Israel is unlikely to succeed in securing international support and therefore lacks credibility.
No one expects negotiations to be simple, but any agreement must take into account Palestinian concerns, include the international community, work to enable (eventually) peaceful coexistence for both Israelis and Palestinians, and work to create prosperity and well-being for Palestinians in order to replace Decades of despair with hope.
Solving this problem will not be easy, but failure would mean perpetuating the endless cycle of violence and destruction that has characterized the region over the past eight decades.
A great deal of responsibility falls on US Secretary of State Blinken.
