Antony Blinken to arrive in Israel as U.S. pushes for Gaza ceasefire
The HinduU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to arrive in Israel on Sunday as part of Washington's intensifying diplomatic push to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza that will end the 10-month-old war between Israel and Hamas. Israel's negotiating team on Saturday expressed "cautious optimism" on the possibility of advancing a deal, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. At least 17 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli strike in the Gaza town of Zawayda on Saturday, health officials said, as Israel issued new evacuation orders, citing Hamas rocket fire nearby. The latest round of war in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on October, 7 when Hamas fighters rampaged into Israel, killing around 1,200 people and seizing around 250 hostages according to Israeli tallies.