US sends diplomat to urge calm as Israel, Hamas fighting escalates
Hady Amr, the top State Department official on Israeli-Palestinian affairs, will push for both sides to de-escalate.
![Hady Amr](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/2021-05/HadyAmr-1-1125x1406.jpg?h=7eeabb12&itok=JisbA7U1)
The Biden administration is dispatching a senior diplomat to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as the fighting intensifies between Israel and militant group Hamas.
Hady Amr, the State Department's deputy assistant secretary for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, will travel to the region immediately to press for calm, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters Wednesday.