U.S. Secretary of State Urges Israel to Cease-fire... "Achieve Strategic Goals in Gaza"

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken, who is on a tour of the Middle East, called for a ceasefire, saying "Israel has achieved most of its strategic goals in Gaza."

"Israel has dismantled Hamas military forces and recently removed senior leadership such as Yahya Sinwar," Blinken told reporters at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, on the 23rd local time.

"What we need to do now is send the hostages home and end the war," Blinken said, calling on Israel to transition to "sustainable strategic success."

"We need to end the war in a way that drives Hamas out of Gaza and prevents Israel from staying," he said, adding, "There should be a detailed plan for what will happen next."

Following Israel, Blinken visited Saudi Arabia, where he met with the ruling Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman and stressed the need to end the war in Gaza and release hostages, the State Department said.

Blinken is on his 11th trip to the Middle East since the Gaza war broke out in October last year.