After a mad scramble by mediators, the truce between Israel and Hamas was extended yesterday afternoon for another day, with an that was agreement struck minutes before the pause in fighting was due to end. And so it starts again… Egyptian officials say they are working with Qatar to get a further 2-day extension which would take it through to Sunday. But looking further down the track is Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who arrived in Israel overnight on his third trip since the start of Israel’s war on Hamas. He’s already met with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu as part of a diplomatic push for a longer-lasting truce in Gaza. He’s also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas – that happened in Ramallah (aka a city in the other Palestinian territory of the West Bank), and told him the US was committed to taking “tangible steps to advance” a Palestinian state.