U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas to accept a deal offered by Israel to release hostages held in Gaza. In remarks Wednesday in Ashdod, Israel, he said there had been “meaningful progress” on increasing aid to Gaza, and that a maritime corridor for deliveries via a temporary pier under construction by the U.S. military was “probably a week away” from being operational. Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and visited the Kerem Shalom border crossing and Kibbutz Nir Oz.