US Secretary State Antony Blinken arrives in Israel to try to bolster Gaza ceasefire

Blinken is planned to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.  

JERUSALEM: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken began a Middle East visit in Israel on Tuesday, seeking to bolster its ceasefire with Gaza`s ruling Hamas group and help speed humanitarian aid to the devastated Palestinian enclave. In tandem with Blinken`s mission, Israeli authorities said they were allowing fuel, medicine and food earmarked for Gaza`s private sector to enter the territory for the first time since 11 days of cross-border hostilities started on May 10. Blinken was also due to visit Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Cairo and Amman, with the United States harbouring "every hope and expectation" the ceasefire would continue to hold, a senior State Department official said.