Blinken emphasized the need for extended pauses to ensure effective aid delivery, highlighting successful campaigns like the polio vaccination that required days, not just hours, to distribute supplies.
Blinken stated that Israel had accomplished its goals and that the war should end, suggesting that longer pauses in fighting are necessary to facilitate humanitarian aid.
Aid agencies and the UN were outraged, stating that conditions in Gaza have deteriorated significantly, with aid levels at their lowest in a year, contrary to the US assessment of progress.
The ruling prohibits the demolition of homes and businesses of those accused or convicted of crimes without due process, addressing concerns that such actions target the Muslim minority community.
Elon Musk was appointed to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, tasked with identifying and eliminating wasteful government spending.
The appointments, including Elon Musk and others like Pete Hegseth and Kristi Noem, were met with both concern from some Democrats and approval from Trump's base, signaling a shift towards more conservative and business-oriented policies.
The beluga whale, initially thought to be a spy for Russia, was later confirmed to have escaped from a military facility. Its lifeless body was found off the coast of Norway two months later.
The US Secretary of State also said Israel had achieved its war aims in Gaza – and the fighting there should stop. Elsewhere: President Elect Donald Trump puts Elon Musk in charge of rooting out government inefficiency.