U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said that the United States believes Israel has an obligation to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas while minimizing civilian casualties in Gaza. "We continue to believe that Israel does not have to choose between removing the threat of Hamas and minimizing the toll on civilians in Gaza," Blinken said in an end-of-the-year news conference. "It has an obligation to do both and it has a strategic interest to do both." (Reuters)