162 die as Israel onslaught on Gaza Strip continues

Gaza, January 5

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Europe’s top diplomat Josep Borrell embarked on a new diplomatic effort on Friday to stop the spillover of the conflict in Gaza to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Lebanon and Red Sea shipping lanes. At the same time, Palestinian health officials stated that some 162 people had been killed in the past 24 hours as Gazans claimed Israeli planes and tanks had intensified attacks overnight on densely populated Al-Maghazi, Al-Bureij and Al-Nusseirat in the centre of the coastal strip.

The visits by Blinken and Borrell to the Middle East take place almost three months since Hamas militants from Gaza attacked southern Israel, sparking an Israeli offensive that Palestinian health officials say has killed 22,600 people and devastated the enclave.

Israel, which says it has killed 8,000 militants since the deaths of 1,200 people in the Hamas attack on October 7, announced a more targeted approach on Thursday as Blinken set off on a week-long tour that will include Israel and the West Bank.

Blinken will visit Turkey, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt and make a stop in Greece. “It is in no one’s interest, not Israel’s, not the region’s, not the world’s, for this conflict to spread beyond Gaza,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories from Sunday, called for a new humanitarian pause. — Reuters

670 operations conducted: Hezbollah

Hassan Nasrallah, Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah, said the militia had conducted 670 military operations on Israeli border since October 8, destroying many Israeli military vehicles.