US Secretary of State Antony Blinken departed Monday for Israel and other unspecified countries in the Middle East as the United States seeks to move forward on efforts to resolve the conflict in the wake of the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

Blinken will discuss the importance of ending the war in Gaza, ways to chart a post-conflict plan for the Palestinian enclave, and how to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is going to the Middle East in the wake of the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. “On my way to Israel and other stops in the Middle East for intensive discussions about the importance of ending the war in Gaza,