US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the Middle East in the coming days to meet with Israeli and Palestinian counterparts as both sides continue to obey a cease-fire after 11 days of hostilities.
The State Department confirmed the news in a readout of two calls Thursday between the nation’s top diplomat and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, noting that the latter “welcomed” the travel plans.
“The Foreign Minister welcomed Secretary Blinken’s planned travel to the region, where the Secretary will meet with Israeli, Palestinian, and regional counterparts in the coming days to discuss recovery efforts and working together to build better futures for Israelis and Palestinians,” the readout stated.
“Both leaders expressed their appreciation for Egypt’s mediation efforts, and the Secretary noted that he would continue to remain in close touch with his Egyptian counterpart and other regional stakeholders,” it continued.
Israel has come under attack by a barrage of rockets launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip over the last two weeks, sending residents fleeing for shelter as air raid sirens blared across Israel’s cities.
Hamas has claimed the attacks came in response to the clash between Israeli police and Palestinian worshipers at the Al-Aqsa mosque at the close of Ramadan.
Hamas, an Islamic fundamentalist offshoot of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, took Gaza in the 2007 Palestinian civil war against the less-radical leadership of the Palestinian Authority.
Israel’s Iron Dome defense system has been intercepting many of the rockets, with the streaks of interceptor missiles lighting up the sky.
The spasm of violence has produced some of the worst fighting between Israel and the terror group since their 2014 war.