GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Feb  5, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - US Secretary
of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday for another Middle
East crisis tour, hoping to secure a new truce in the Israel-Hamas war as Gaza
saw no let-up in fighting.

On his fifth trip to the region since Hamas's October 7 attack that
triggered the war, Blinken landed in Riyadh and was later expected to visit
Israel and mediators Egypt and Qatar.

Ahead of the trip he stressed the need for "urgently addressing
humanitarian needs in Gaza", after aid groups have repeatedly sounded the alarm
over the devastating impact nearly four months of war have had on the besieged
Gaza Strip.

"The situation is indescribable," said Said Hamouda, a Palestinian who fled
his home to the southern Gaza city of Rafah on the border with Egypt.

Dubbed a "pressure cooker of despair" by the United Nations, Rafah now
hosts more than half of Gaza's population, displaced due to Israel's assault.

Over the weekend, Israel pressed further south towards the densely-crowded
border city, warning that its ground forces could advance on Rafah as part of
the campaign to eradicate Hamas.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "a complete victory will
deal a fatal blow" to Hamas but also to other Iran-backed militant groups
across the region.

At least 128 people were killed in Israeli strikes overnight to Monday,
according to the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.
Witnesses told AFP they heard artillery shelling in the areas of eastern
Rafah and Khan Yunis, where Israel believes high-ranking Hamas officials are
hiding.

Hamas reported Israeli bombardment across the centre and south of the
coastal strip, and the group's armed wing said its militants attacked troops
near Gaza City.

The Israeli military said forces in northern and central Gaza had killed
"hundreds of terrorists" over the past week, and were engaging with Hamas
militants in the Khan Yunis.

- Diplomatic push -

Blinken is expected to discuss a truce framework not yet signed off on by
either Hamas or Israel.

The protracted diplomatic efforts have become more urgent with a surge in
attacks across the region by Iran-backed Hamas allies, triggering
counterattacks by the United States and its partners.

The war was sparked by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel,
which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according
to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Militants also seized around 250 hostages. Israel says 132 remain in Gaza
-- including 28 believed to have been killed, according to updated figures from
the prime minister's office.

Israel launched a massive military offensive that has killed at least
27,478 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory's
health ministry.

The proposed truce would pause fighting for an initial six weeks as Hamas
frees hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and more
aid enters Gaza, according to a Hamas source.

Netanyahu, who has faced divisions within his cabinet and public fury over
the fate of the remaining hostages, said Israel "will not accept" demands made
by Hamas for an exchange.

The premier's Likud party quoted him as saying the terms "should be similar
to the previous agreement", which saw a ratio of captives exchanged for
Palestinian prisoners during a November truce.

As Gazans have suffered dire humanitarian conditions, the UN agency for
Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is facing a major controversy after accusations
that 12 staff members were involved in Hamas's attack.

- 'Tragic' conditions -

More than a dozen countries, led by top donors the United States and
Germany, suspended their funding to the aid agency after the claims surfaced.

Spain however said it would give an additional 3.5 million euros ($3.8
million) "so that UNRWA can maintain its activities in the short term", said
Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres announced the creation of an
independent panel to assess UNRWA and "whether the agency is doing everything
within its power to ensure neutrality", a UN statement said.

Jordan's King Abdullah II urged donors to maintain support for the agency
"to allow it to provide its vital humanitarian services... particularly in
light of the tragic humanitarian situation in Gaza", a royal statement said.

In a meeting with Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in
Amman, the two leaders urged the protection of civilians in Gaza and called to
intensify efforts towards a lasting ceasefire and a "political solution" to the
conflict, the statement said.

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, on his first visit to the region
since taking office, said peace will only be achieved through diplomacy, urging
the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks "without delay".

Since the Gaza war broke out, violence has surged across the region
including on the Israel-Lebanon border where the military reported Monday more
exchanges with Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Sejourne that "time is running out" to
reach a solution, warning of military action in the Lebanon border area "to
return the evacuated citizens" if diplomacy fails.

Stating his case for a "complete victory" in Gaza, Netanyahu said that
without it displaced Israelis "will not return, the next massacre will only be
a matter of time, and Iran, Hezbollah and others will simply celebrate."