Latest Israel-Hamas war news and Gaza conflict updates

Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Egypt on the second part of a five-stop Middle East tour that the State Department said aims to broker the release of Hamas-held hostages and the flow of more aid into Gaza, while preventing the conflict’s spread. In Gaza, fighting has forced about half of the Strip’s population to crowd the southern city of Rafah, raising fears that Israel’s stated plans to target the city could lead to devastating consequences.