Israel and the United States are currently engaged in talks to discuss the post-war future of Gaza on Tuesday, reports the Associated Press.
This occurs as the IDF offensive continues to push deeper inside Gaza and the West Bank in pursuit of Hamas militants. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had promises from four Arab nations, and Turkey, to help rebuild Gaza after the war.
However, those nations want the fighting to end, as well as the placement of markers toward the creation of a true Palestinian state that will have the right to exist alongside Israel. However, this is something Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vehemently opposed in the past. There's also contention between the allies on how Gaza will be governed when Hamas is defeated. Americans expressed the desire for the Palestinian Authority, which governs certain parts of the West Bank, to take over Gaza. But Israel has rejected the idea and has not put forth any alternatives at this point.
Blinkin has also been tasked with preventing the spread of war between Israel and Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon. Hezbollah recently announced that it sent exploding drones at the Israeli army's northern command in the town of Safed in northern Israel and said it was their southernmost target thus far. An Israeli military spokesperson said there was a drone that fell at a base in the north but didn't cause any damage.
"There is lots to talk about, in particular about the way forward," Blinken said after meeting Israeli President Isaac Herzog. The United States' position is that Israel should scale back its offensive in Gaza, which has been marked by bombings and drone strikes, to more precise operations.
What Is Next In Gaza?
However, Israeli tactics have remained the same as several hundred Palestinians a day lose their lives, according to Gaza health officials. Israel maintains that it has dismantled Hamas logistics and bases in northern Gaza but fighting continues in what the IDF calls "pockets" of resistance.
But the brunt of the ground fighting has moved to the southern city of Khan Younis.
"The fighting will continue throughout 2024," military spokesman Daniel Hagari said. Thus far authorities estimate that more than 23,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in the fighting, with another 58,000 wounded. These numbers were furnished by the Health Ministry in Gaza.
About two-thirds of the dead of women and children. No designation has been made between fighters and civilian bystanders.
Monday saw the IDF lose nine fighters, with six of them dying in a blast that may have been an accident. The military says 185 soldiers have been killed since the ground offensive began in late October.
