Blinken arrives in Israel as US looks to renew ceasefire efforts

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel on his 11th visit to the region since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

He is expected to meet top officials as the United States looks to revive ceasefire efforts after the killing of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

Mr Blinken landed just hours after Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into central Israel on Tuesday, setting off air raid sirens in the country’s most populated areas but causing no apparent damage or injuries.

Mr Netanyahu called his meeting with Mr Blinken, which lasted more than two hours, “friendly and productive”.

The rocket fire came as Israel stepped up its strikes in Lebanon, targeting a Hezbollah-run financial institution, and as Israeli troops pushed ahead in their invasion of southern Lebanon.

So far, none of the warring parties appear to be backing down on longstanding demands for a ceasefire.

Israel is still at war with Hamas more than a year after the militant group’s October 7 attack, and with Hezbollah in Lebanon, where it launched a ground invasion earlier this month. Israel is also expected to strike Iran after its ballistic missile attack on October 1.

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have brokered months of talks between Israel and Hamas, trying to strike a deal in which the militants would release dozens of hostages in return for an end to the war, a lasting ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

But both Israel and Hamas accused each other of making new and unacceptable demands over the summer, and the talks ground to a halt in August.

The US has also tried to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, but those efforts fell apart as tensions spiked last month with a series of Israeli strikes that killed the militant group’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and most of his senior commanders.

Israel is currently waging another major operation in already-devastated northern Gaza, which has killed hundreds of Palestinians over the last two weeks according to local health authorities, who do not say how many were combatants.

In Lebanon, Israel has carried out waves of heavy air strikes across southern Beirut and the country’s south and east, areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence.

Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets, missiles and drones into Israel, including some that have reached the country’s populous centre.

Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 250 hostage. Around 100 of the captives are still held in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded tens of thousands, according to local health authorities, who do not say how many were combatants. It has also caused massive devastation across the territory and displaced around 90% of its population of 2.3 million.