Blinken swiftly departs Israel as war with Hamas resumes
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken departed Tel Aviv on Friday morning at 7:45 a.m. local time as the cease-fire between Israel an Hamas ended and the two sides exchanged rocket fire.
When Blinken left, Hamas and Israel were still indirectly communicating on hostages. But Hamas had not handed over a list of potential releases when hostilities resumed. The Palestinian militant group, which rules the neighboring Gaza Strip, alleged it doesn't have any women or children left among its hostages to release. But Israel doesn't believe Hamas and also wants to see men and soldiers freed as well.
So far, Hamas has not provided a list of potential releases for Friday.
After landing in Dubai, Blinken did not answer shouted questions from reporters on the tarmac about the end of the temporary truce. But a senior official with the U.S. Department of State expressed hope a pause in hostilities could be reinstated as soon as the end of the day.
When asked about a report by The New York Times alleging Israel knew about Hamas' attack plan a year in advance, the official told reporters that it was clear there was a massive intelligence failure and there needs to be a reckoning. The official added that Israel will do an inquiry but its leadership is trying to delay it.
-ABC News' Shannon Crawford and Morgan Winsor