Israel hints at ending operations in northern Gaza as Blinken tours region

The Israeli army hinted that it had ended its major combat operations in northern Gaza, saying it had completed the dismantling of Hamas' military infrastructure there, as the war entered its fourth month on Sunday.

Israeli army spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said late Saturday that forces would “continue to deepen the achievement” there, strengthening defences along the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip, and focusing on the central and southern parts of the Strip.

This announcement came ahead of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's visit to the region - he arrived in Jordan late on Saturday and met King Abdullah on Sunday before he was set to visit Qatar and end the day in the United Arab Emirates.

Blinken said on Saturday evening at Chania Airport on the Greek island of Crete that “we must ensure that the conflict does not expand” in Gaza, where the war has entered its fourth month.

He added, "One of the real areas of fear is the border between Israel and Lebanon, and we want to do everything possible to ensure that the situation does not escalate."

Biden administration officials, including Blinken, have repeatedly urged Israel to end its violent air and ground assault on Gaza and shift to more targeted attacks on Hamas leaders to prevent harm to Palestinian civilians.

In recent weeks, Israel has already scaled back its military offensive in northern Gaza, and has continued its offensive in the south of the Strip, where most of Gaza's 2.3 million people are crammed into smaller areas, a humanitarian catastrophe, while exposed to Israeli aerial bombardment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that the war will not end until the goals of eliminating Hamas, returning Israeli hostages, and ensuring that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel again are achieved.

Meanwhile, at least 113 Palestinians were killed and 250 others injured over the past 24 hours in Israeli strikes on the Gaza strip, the health ministry in Gaza said in a statement on Sunday.

Sunday's tally brings the latest death toll in Gaza to 22,835 Palestinians killed and 58,416 injured since Oct. 7, the statement added.