U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Tel Aviv for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders. The State Department claims Blinken’s trip is aimed at reviving failed Gaza ceasefire negotiations, yet the Biden administration continues to refuse calls for an arms embargo against Netanyahu’s government amid record U.S. military assistance to Israel. This is Blinken’s 11th visit to the region since Israel launched its latest war on Gaza last October.

Meanwhile, calls are growing for U.S. officials to investigate reports of the Israeli army using abducted Palestinians as human shields in Gaza, often forcing them to walk ahead of Israeli soldiers to inspect underground tunnels and buildings. The use of human shields is a war crime. 

In related news, a group of over 60 House Democrats are demanding the Biden administration “take immediate action to advocate for unrestricted, independent media access” to Gaza, as Israel has blocked foreign journalists from entering over the course of its yearlong war.