Blinken aims to 'cross finish line' on Gaza ceasefire, hostages deal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that Washington wanted a ceasefire deal in Gaza to be concluded and the hostages released in the next two weeks. A renewed push is under way to reach a ceasefire in the war and return Israeli hostages, before US president-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. "We very much want to bring this over the finish line in the next two weeks, the time we have remaining," Mr Blinken told a press conference in South Korea.