Blinken speaks with Egypt to seek ‘immediate halt’ to Hamas assault

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Saturday with Egypt, a key intermediary between Israel and Hamas, to seek an immediate end to the offensive by the militants, the State Department said.

In a telephone call with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Blinken raised “the urgency in achieving an immediate halt to the appalling assault by Hamas terrorists against Israel,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.