January 6, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

The head of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, says he hopes US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be “more focused” on ending Israeli “aggression” in Gaza during the top diplomat’s multi-country visit to the region.

Blinken is undertaking another shuttle diplomacy tour amid heightened fears that the Israel-Hamas war may spill over into a wider regional conflict. Attacks in Lebanon, Iran and Iraq this week have spiked tensions in the region as Iranian proxy groups Hezbollah and the Houthis increase their threats against Israel.  

In a video message shared by Hamas on Saturday, the Doha-based Hamas political leader said he hopes the US has “realized the extent” of its “mistakes” in supporting Israel.   

Haniyeh said Hamas hopes Blinken — in his fourth trip to the region since Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 — will be “more focused this time to end the aggression” being carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip.  

Earlier this week, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant unveiled the third phase of the war campaign in Gaza, which includes a new combat approach in the north and a commitment to keep pursuing Hamas leaders in southern Gaza for “for as long as necessary.”  

Haniyeh also said that leaders of Arab nations who meet Blinken should “stress to the US administration that the future and stability” of the region is linked to the “Palestinian cause.”   

He reiterated Hamas’ view that the Palestinian people should have a “completely independent state” with “complete sovereignty.”  

More on Blinken’s trip: Indirect back-channeling to Iran will also be a key focus of Blinken’s trip, a senior State Department official said Friday.nThe top US diplomat will make clear to the leaders with whom he meets that the US does not want to see the conflict escalate nor do they intend to escalate it. The US expects that message to then be conveyed to Iran and Iranian proxies through the countries that have a relationship with them, the official said.

The secretary of state met with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. After going to Greece, he will travel to Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank, and Egypt.