 "US expects Israel to shift to targeted operations in Gaza: Secy Blinken")
Israel’s campaign to root out Hamas from the Gaza Strip needs to shift from a large-scale military attack to a more precise operation that will reduce the toll on Palestinian civilians, the top US diplomat said.
“It’s clear that the conflict will move — and needs to move — to a lower-intensity phase,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Wednesday in Washington. “And we expect to see, and want to see, a shift to more targeted operations, with a smaller number of forces, that’s really focused in on dealing with the leadership of Hamas, the tunnel network and a few other critical things.”
Blinken’s comments added fresh weight to Biden administration efforts to prod Israel to end the wide-scale destruction. Almost 19,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Meanwhile, fighting in the Gaza Strip escalated on Thursday with some of the most intense Israeli bombardment of the war and Hamas demonstrated its ability to rocket Tel Aviv, even as the enemies held their most serious talks for weeks on a new truce.
The sides are discussing a new truce to release some of the more than 100 hostages still held by militants who stormed Israeli towns on a killing spree on October 7. At the same time, the UN Security Council is working on a new plan to ramp up aid. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was in Egypt for a second day for negotiations, a rare personal intervention which in the past has signalled important stages in diplomacy.
US President Joe Biden said: “We’re pushing.” Hamas said in a statement that Palestinian factions had taken a united position that there should be “no talk about prisoners or exchange deals, except after a full cessation of aggression”.
Exporters explore cargo flights as way out of increased Red Sea chaos
Exporters explore cargo flights as way out of increased Red Sea chaos
Exporters are scrambling to find alternative air, land and ocean routes to get toys, apparel, tea and auto parts to retailers as disarray ripples through freight supply chains around the world during a wave of attacks in the Red Sea.
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Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have stepped up attacks on vessels in the Red Sea since November 19. The attacks have disrupted a key trade route linking Europe and North America with Asia via the Suez Canal. Container shipping costs have surged, more than tripling in some cases, as firms seek to move goods via other, often longer, ocean routes. If there are extended disruptions, the consumer goods sector that supplies the world's top retailers like Walmart and IKEA will face the biggest impact, S&P Global said.
Germany's Hapag-Lloyd said on Thursday that it will reroute 25 ships by the end of the year to avoid the Suez Canal and the
Red Sea.