Exactly four weeks on from Hamas’s brutal attacks in southern Israel, which sparked a conflict that has reportedly killed around 10,000 people from both sides, the region “has changed”, says Sky News US correspondent Mark Stone, in Jerusalem.
He says the repercussions of Hamas’s massacres have been “felt every day since” by the people of Gaza and the region as a whole.
“The reality on the ground now for the people of Gaza as Israel retaliates, as it says it must, is hellish,” says Stone.
“Diplomatically politicians – Western politicians, Arab politicians – are struggling to contain it.”
On the diplomatic response, Antony Blinken’s visit to Amman in Jordan today is a result of fears that the conflict could spiral beyond Gaza, Stone adds.
“The Lebanese prime minister called for a ceasefire. I don’t think it will come, I think he’s going to hear from all the leaders of the Arab world that there must be a ceasefire now.
“But he will tell them that America does not think a ceasefire is the answer, because it would only allow Hamas to regroup, to rearm and to attack again.”
Lebanese leader stresses importance of ceasefire to US’s Blinken
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati stressed the importance of working towards a ceasefire in Gaza during a meeting with top US diplomat Antony Blinken in Jordan today.
The state-owned National News Agency said Mr Mikati also called for an end to Israeli “aggression” in southern Lebanon.
The caretaker PM also stressed his country’s commitment to international legitimacy and the implementation of UN Resolution 1701, calling on the international community to pressure Israel to end its operations.
Mr Blinken reiterated his call for a pause in military operations to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and to address the prisoner issue.
Report – Israel launches missile at Gaza home of Hamas chief
Hamas’s Al-Aqsa Radio is claiming that an Israeli drone fired a missile at the Gaza house of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, who is currently outside the region, the Reuters news agency reports.
It was unclear whether anyone else was at the house when it was reportedly struck.
Haniyeh has been outside of Gaza since 2019.
MEZIESBLOG has been unable to independently verify the claim.
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