The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on Saturday in a surprise multi-pronged assault that saw armed fighters crossing into several Israeli towns by air, land and sea while thousands of rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip.
“If [Saudi-Israel normalization] is to move forward, the Palestinian piece is going to be very important too,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Officials are negotiating details of agreement they hope to cement within nine-to-12 months, though obstacles remain
Attacks come amid sharply increased Israel-Palestinian tensions following Israeli raids this week on al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem
The Israeli military has carried out air strikes on targets belonging to the Palestinian militant group Hamas in southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
Israel says it has arrested 19 members of the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad in raids across the occupied West Bank, after carrying out airstrikes against targets in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas fired rockets into Israel during last year’s march, sparking an 11-day war between Israel and the Gaza-based group
The US "remains unwavering in its support for Israel's security," Biden said, saying that the US government is committed to working with the new Israeli government
Israel unleashed new air strikes on Gaza early Tuesday, targeting the homes of Hamas and Islamic Jihad commanders as Palestinian armed groups fired dozens of rockets toward Israel. The latest escalation comes after weeks of tensions in contested Jerusalem.