The secretary's plea for peace comes from a weak diplomatic position after the State Department failed to follow through on enforcing humanitarian access to Gaza.

Outgoing US Secretay of State Antony Blinken has said Israel achieved its aims and must now allow Palestinians to return to Gaza. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has launched drone attacks on Tel Aviv. Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called for Israel to wind down its war in Gaza.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel had gone a long way toward meeting the U.S. demands to ease the suffering of civilians in Gaza. He also said Israel had met its objectives in Gaza, "So this should be a time to end the war.