News - US Secretary of State says work is underway to free Israeli hostages in Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington is working to free Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, including US citizens. Blinken made the announcement on October 15 at Cairo airport. In recent days, he visited Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt to get their views on the current situation, BBC reports. Referring to US aircraft carriers sailing in the Mediterranean, he said the move should be seen as a deterrence measure and not as a way to escalate the conflict. Blinken said Israel has the right and responsibility to defend itself and ensure that this does not happen again in the future. But, the US Secretary of State noted, how Israel does this is also important. Blinken emphasized the importance of preserving civilian lives.