Israel announced Tuesday the expansion of its war against Hamas to include the goal of making it possible for residents of northern Israel to return to homes they evacuated due to clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants along the Israel-Lebanon border.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the security cabinet approved the move late Monday.
Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, began its near-daily attacks shortly after the war in Gaza began, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. Hezbollah, which like Hamas is supported by Iran, has said it would halt the attacks if there is a cease-fire deal for Gaza. Hezbollah is a U.S.-designated terrorist group.
Efforts to achieve that cease-fire have stretched on for months, with U.S., Egyptian and Qatari officials trying to find terms agreeable to both Israel and Hamas.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Egypt on Tuesday amid ongoing efforts to engage key regional partners in the Middle East to present a revised cease-fire proposal.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters Monday, “We continue to engage with our partners in the region, most specifically with Egypt and Qatar, about what that proposal will contain, and making sure or trying to see that it's a proposal that can get the parties to an ultimate agreement.”
The U.S. has not provided a timetable for the revised proposal, though officials have indicated that it would be presented soon. The proposal seeks to resolve key issues behind the impasse, aiming to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas and the release of remaining hostages taken by the Hamas militants at the start of the war on October 7, 2023.
In Cairo, Blinken will co-chair the opening session of the U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. Blinken will also meet with Egyptian leaders to discuss efforts to secure a cease-fire in Gaza, ensure the release of all hostages, alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and promote broader regional security, according to Miller.
However, Blinken's trip does not include a stop in Israel for talks with its leaders.
Blinken met Monday with Yair Lapid, Israel’s opposition leader and former prime minister.
After the meeting at the State Department, Lapid told reporters that Israel needs a hostage deal and an end to the war in Gaza, emphasizing that no political process or turbulence should affect the deal. Lapid urged the U.S. not to let Hamas “skirt a hostage deal.”
“Israel as a nation will not heal unless we will bring [the remaining hostages] back home. This is essential to our existence,” Lapid said.
U.N. meeting
At the United Nations, the General Assembly on Tuesday reopened an emergency meeting on Gaza.
The Palestinian delegation has requested the body debate and vote on a resolution that seeks to force Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian lands within 12 months and impose sanctions on those who are “engaged in the maintenance of Israel’s unlawful presence” in Palestinian territories. It also calls on states to “take steps” toward ending arms shipments to Israel that could be used in Palestinian areas.
It is trying to build on momentum from an advisory opinion issued in July by the U.N.’s top court, the International Court of Justice, that said annexation and occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful and Israel’s discriminatory laws and policies against Palestinians “are tantamount to the crime of apartheid.”
“We are committed to the rule of international law and to just and lasting peace in our region,” Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said. “This requires ensuring that the same rules apply to all. No bias. No double standards. No exceptionalism. And no exception.”
Israel rejected the court’s opinion, and their ambassador urged countries not to support the proposed resolution.
“Anyone who supports this circus is a collaborator,” Ambassador Danny Danon told the meeting. “Every vote you cast in support of this circus fuels the violence.”
The United States also urged countries to vote against the measure.
“There is no path forward or hope offered through this resolution today,” Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the assembly. “Its adoption will not save Palestinian lives, bring the hostages home, end Israeli settlements or reinvigorate the peace process.”
General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but they carry the weight of the international community. More than 90 countries plan to speak at the debate and a vote is expected on Wednesday. Observers expect the measure to be adopted.
Hamas triggered the conflict with its October 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages. Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 41,200 Palestinians, a death toll Israel says includes thousands of militant fighters.
Hamas has been designated a terror group by the U.S., the U.K., EU and other Western nations.
VOA State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching, U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer, Kim Lewis and Natasha Mozgovaya contributed to this report.
