Report: Blinken to push for pause in airstrikes on Gaza to allow for mediation

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel Friday to press the Israeli government on its ongoing offensive in Gaza amid growing international condemnation and a steadily mounting civilian death toll.

The top U.S. diplomat, who traveled twice to Israel last month in the wake of the deadly Hamas attack, is meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war cabinet in Tel Aviv as the U.S. government continues to attempt balancing support for Israel’s defense with an increasingly public call for them to protect civilians.

A diplomatic source meanwhile told CNN that Blinken is expected to push Israel for a “pause” in airstrikes on Gaza to “allow for mediation,” though a timeline for such a pause remains unclear. Blinken and other administration officials have repeatedly voiced their support for “humanitarian pauses.”