6/10/24 - Some Israeli Hostages Are Rescued & The U.S. Works Toward A Cease-Fire Deal

U.S. Sec. of State Antony Blinken returns to the Middle East this week to help negotiate some type of an agreement between Israel and Hamas.

 — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is headed back to the Middle East.  The United States continues working toward a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Blinken will meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo and then will make his was to Israel, Jordan and Qatar. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed skepticism and has rejected calls for Israel to cease all fighting until Hamas is eradicated. 

Over the weekend there was a hostage operation where 4 Israelis were rescued.  The Health Ministry reported that Israel rescued four hostages who were kidnapped in the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7.

Israeli authorities believe the militants are still holding around 120 hostages.  43 have lost their lives.  The weekend operation also results in the deaths of several Palestinian civilians. 

Blinken will stress the importance of persuading the militants to accept the three-phase proposal on the table. The plan calls for the release of more hostages and a temporary pause in hostilities that could lead to the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Also over the weekend Benny Gantz, a popular centrist, resigned from the three-member War Cabinet.  He believes the prime minister did not formulate a new plan for postwar Gaza.

The U.S. State Department says Blinken will use this trip to "discuss how the cease-fire proposal would benefit both Israelis and Palestinians.

The was has hindered the flow of food, medicine and other supplies to Palestinians.