"Escalating Tensions: Israel-Hamas Conflict Updates and US Involvement"

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is set to meet with U.S. officials in Washington despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cancellation of another high-level delegation's visit to the U.S. over the U.N. Security Council's abstention on a cease-fire resolution. The U.S. expressed support for defeating Hamas but opposed a major ground operation in Rafah, while Israel and Hamas blamed each other for lack of progress in cease-fire talks in Qatar. The U.S. stated that its abstention did not signal a change in policy, and casualties in Gaza continue to rise amid the ongoing conflict.