US secretary of state Antony Blinken will travel to Israel this week as part of his sixth urgent mission to West Asia since Israel’s war with Hamas began in Oct, as relations between the two countries have soured dramatically in the recent weeks. The US state department said the Israel stop would cap Blinken’s latest tour that started in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and will continue in Egypt on Thursday. The top US diplomat will be in Tel Aviv on Friday. Blinken will hold talks with the Israel govt leadership on the ongoing negotiations and “the need to ensure the defeat of Hamas, including in Rafah, in a way that protects the civilian population”, the department spokesman said.
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