Blinken visits Middle East to push for truce between Hamas and Israel

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to the Middle East on Monday in a new tour aimed at securing a truce in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, as fighting continues in southern Gaza.

In his fifth visit to the region since the attack launched by Hamas inside Israel on October 7th, sparking the war, Blinken is expected to stop in Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, and Qatar.

Prior to the visit, Blinken emphasized the urgent need to "respond promptly to humanitarian needs in Gaza" after relief groups repeatedly raised the alarm about the devastating consequences of the war, which is nearing its fifth month, on the besieged territory.

Palestinian Said Hamouda, who fled his home in southern Gaza towards the southern city of Rafah on the border with Egypt, said, "The situation cannot be described."

Rafah, which the United Nations expressed deep concern about the situation worsening alongside growing despair, hosts more than half of Gaza's population of 2.4 million people who have been displaced due to Israeli military operations.

Hamouda said, "Whether you own a million or a hundred dollars, the situation is the same."

The Israeli army advanced southward towards the border city over the past weekend, warning that its ground forces may enter Rafah as part of an operation aimed at "eliminating" Hamas.

On Monday morning, AFP sources reported hearing artillery fire in the eastern areas of Rafah and Khan Younis, the main city in Gaza.

Israel alleges that Hamas elements have prepared in Khan Younis for an attack on October 7th, and that senior Hamas officials are hiding in the city.

According to the Hamas-run health ministry, Israeli airstrikes on Sunday night resulted in the deaths of 128 individuals, with a majority being women and children, in the occupied territory.

Hamas' government media office confirmed that Israeli airstrikes continued on the central and southern coastal areas, including those close to hospitals.

The Israeli army announced that its soldiers continued to carry out "targeted raids" in central and northern Gaza.

It added that its forces killed in Khan Younis "dozens of terrorists who ambushed soldiers in various parts of the city."

AFP