Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel for his 11th visit since the onset of the conflict with Hamas, aiming to revive ceasefire negotiations following the recent killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. During meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials, Blinken emphasized the need to leverage Sinwar's death as a pivotal moment to secure the release of hostages and bring an end to the ongoing war, while also ensuring Israel's security.

In addition to diplomatic discussions, Blinken urged Israeli leaders to facilitate increased humanitarian aid into Northern Gaza amid a renewed military offensive. The U.S. government has warned that it may reconsider Israel's access to weapons funding if humanitarian supplies are not allowed to flow more freely. The State Department reported a recent uptick in aid truck entries, but stressed that further efforts are necessary.

In a separate development, the FBI is investigating the unauthorized release of classified U.S. documents concerning Israel's potential retaliatory actions against Iran following a ballistic missile attack earlier this month. The documents, which surfaced on the Telegram messaging app, are marked as top secret. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby stated that it remains unclear whether the documents were leaked or hacked, but officials do not anticipate further releases.

On the international front, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted a summit of the BRICS nations, which has expanded to include several developing economies. The summit, attended by over 20 leaders including adversaries like Iran's president and allies such as India's Narendra Modi, is viewed as an opportunity for Russia to counter perceptions of isolation following its invasion of Ukraine.

In Cuba, the aftermath of Hurricane Oscar has left many residents in Havana without power for days, leading to protests over the dire living conditions. The hurricane has caused significant flooding and at least seven fatalities, with ongoing search and rescue efforts in affected areas.

Meanwhile, in North Carolina, officials have revised the death toll from Hurricane Helene, reducing the number of confirmed fatalities from 72 to 42 due to updated information and communication challenges post-storm.

Additionally, federal health officials reported an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders, affecting at least 49 individuals across ten states, resulting in one death and multiple hospitalizations. McDonald's has ceased distribution of potentially contaminated onions from a single supplier in response to the outbreak.