US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will depart for the Middle East on Oct. 21, 2024, the State Department said, as Washington is pushing to kickstart ceasefire negotiations to end the Gaza war following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Vedant Patel, the State Department's deputy spokesman, told reporters the top diplomat's trip will start with Israel but did not provide the other exact destinations. Blinken's latest trip to the region, his 11th since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas that triggered the Gaza war, comes even as Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza and in Lebanon against Iran-aligned militia Hezbollah.
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