Israel is still at war with Hamas more than a year after the militant group's Oct. 7 attack.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he boards a plane en route to the Middle East as he departs Joint Base Andrews, Md., Monday, Oct. 21, 2024.
Blinken landed just hours after Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into central Israel, setting off air raid sirens in the country's most populated areas and its international airport, but causing no apparent damage or injuries. The Israeli military said it struck a Hezbollah target, without elaborating, and said that it had not targeted the hospital itself.The State Department said ahead of the visit that Blinken would focus on ending the war in Gaza, securing the release of hostages held by Hamas and alleviating the suffering of Palestinian civilians.reaching Gaza, something that Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made clear in a letter to Israeli officials last week.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have brokered months of talks between Israel and Hamas, trying to strike a deal in which the militants would release dozens of hostages in return for an end to the war, a lasting cease-fire and the release of Palestinian prisoners. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been criss-crossing the region in recent days to try and built support ahead of Israel's threatened retaliatory strike. Speaking in Kuwait on Tuesday, he said Gulf Arab countries had assured him they would not allow their territory to be used for any Israeli strike.
Israel is currently waging another major operation in already-devastated northern Gaza, which has killed hundreds of Palestinians over the last two weeks, according to local health authorities.
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