Pressure on Blinken to get Gaza truce breakthrough as Israeli forces close in last refuge for Palestinians
Anthony Blinken has visited Saudi Arabia for the start of four-day trip to the Middle East, as pressure mounts on Washington to deliver a truce – and bring the region back from the brink – before Israel’s threatened assault on the last refuge for civilians in Gaza.
The secretary of state is set to travel to the , Israel and the occupied West Bank, in his fifth attempt at furious shuttle diplomacy in the region since October. The 7 October attack by Hamas that killed around 1,200 people in Israel and saw another 250 taken hostage, and Israel's bombardment of Gaza in response, has sparked clashes across the region. Gaza’s authorities say Israel’s.
