Oct. 16 (UPI) — President Joe Biden will travel to Israel on Wednesday as part of U.S. efforts to prevent the Israeli-Hamas conflict from expanding.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the announcement while he was in Tel Aviv early Tuesday local time, according to CNN. It was reported late Monday in U.S. news markets.
Blinken had spent all day Monday in meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel prepares for its next advance in its fight against Hamas, which killed more than 1,300 Israelis and took more than 120 hostages in its recent attack Oct. 7.
Israel has responded with the large-scale bombing of Gaza, which has killed more than 2,670 people and wounded 9,600.
Some 1.1 million Palestinians in northern Gaza have been told to evacuate to the south because of the anticipated Israeli ground invasion.
Biden has been considering such a visit after Netanyahu extended the invitation this past weekend.
Earlier in the day Monday, Biden canceled a scheduled trip to Colorado that had been planned for the president to tout his Investing in America economic plan. Instead, Biden remained at the White House “to participate in national security meetings,” White House officials said.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
