Israel kills sister of Hamas leader in attack on homeless shelter

At least 21 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip overnight, including two deadly attacks on Unrwa shelters in Gaza City.

In addition, an attack on the Asmaa School in the Shati refugee camp left ten people dead, including reportedly the sister and other family members of Hamas politician Ismail Haniyeh.

The attacks come as Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is currently in the United States, where he is meeting with senior American officials to discuss the next steps in the war against Gaza and the escalation with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Gallant is reportedly trying to resolve the “differences” between the US and Israel. He told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken: “This is how we will achieve our goals and weaken our enemies.”

Blinken appeared to put pressure on Israel on the issue of aid to Gaza. The State Department said he “stressed the need to take additional steps to protect humanitarian workers in Gaza and to provide assistance throughout the Gaza Strip in full coordination with the United Nations.”

Blinken also warned against further escalation in Lebanon and stressed “the importance of avoiding further escalation of the conflict and reaching a diplomatic solution that allows both Israeli and Lebanese families to return to their homes.”

Despite these public statements, Axios reports that US presidential envoy Amos Hochstein told Lebanese authorities last week that Washington would not be able to stop Israel from invading Lebanon if Hezbollah

Lebanese minister and diplomats visit Beirut airport after allegations of weapons storage

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continues his attacks.

The report, based on input from a U.S. official, an Israeli official and a Western diplomat familiar with the matter, said the Biden administration is concerned that both Israel and Hezbollah are miscalculating in escalating their rhetoric and fighting.

Axios quoted the Western diplomat as saying that Hezbollah responded through third parties that while it did not want war, the Lebanese group was convinced it could inflict significant damage on Israel if it invaded Lebanon.