Blinken to visit Israel again this week on 3rd trip to region since October 7

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return this week to the Middle East as the US hopes to find a way to further extend a temporary ceasefire in Gaza and get more hostages released, the State Department said Monday.
It will be his third trip to the region since Hamas launched a war with Israel on October 7, when thousands of terrorists invaded southern Israeli communities, massacring 1,200 people, mostly civilians in their homes and at a music festival, and taking some 240 hostages.
Blinken will travel to Israel and the West Bank after attending Ukraine-focused meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels and Skopje, North Macedonia, where foreign ministers from NATO and the Organization for Peace and Security in Europe are gathering.
The four-day truce agreement between Israel and Hamas had been due to expire Monday but was extended for an additional two days, meaning the extension will be expiring just as Blinken is arriving in Israel.
Hamas freed 50 Israeli hostages since Friday when the lull in fighting took effect, and released 18 foreign nationals and one Russian-Israeli national as part of separate agreements. Israel released 150 Palestinian prisoners, mostly women and underaged males.
The government approved a list of 50 more female Palestinian prisoners set for potential release under the extension which is expected to see the release of another 20 or so Israeli hostages over two more days.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday the US hopes to see the pause extended further, but it is dependent on Hamas continuing to release hostages.