ALBAWABA - According to the Jerusalem Post, Secretary of State of the United States Anthony Blinken is expected to visit Israel this week.
In what would count as the fourth visit since October 7th, it is believed that Secretary Blinken is visiting to discuss the possibility of releasing American hostages who are among the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
With the release of the second group of hostages, senior Biden administration officials voiced disappointment that no American citizens had been released as part of the arrangement so far.
Senior administration officials told NBC that they are still hopeful that at least three US citizens will be released within the next two days.
Throughout October, Blinken visited Israel and toured the Middle East holding talks with leaders across various countries, including Jordan, West Bank, and Iraq.
Earlier today, the Israeli prison service reported receiving a list of 39 additional Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 14 Israeli hostages in the third batch of the hostage exchange deal with Hamas.
13 Israelis and 4 Thai nationals arrived in Israel on Sunday in the second release of hostages from Hamas captivity in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in a deal briefly endangered by a dispute about aid delivery into Gaza, Reuters reported.
Al-Aqsa Flood operation against Israel
Hamas military group announced on Oct. 7 a military operation called "Al-Aqsa Flood" against Israel which is the biggest offensive in decades.
Palestinian fighters “infiltrated” Israel from the Gaza Strip and captured military bases and took hostages as photos and videos went viral online showing Hamas fighters on vehicles inside Israel and others paragliding into occupation territory.
In response, Israeli armed forces announced targeting Hamas positions inside the Gaza Strip. Thousands were killed, and dozens of thousands of others were injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
