US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is pushing for a rapid ceasefire and release of hostages held by Hamas, as the world waits for a response from the Palestinian militant group. Blinken met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday prior to meeting with Netanyahu. The Israeli Cogat authority, which is responsible for implementing policy in the West Bank and Gaza, said Blinken visited the Kerem Shalom checkpoint on Israel’s border with the coastal strip to get an idea of the situation on the ground. He also plans to visit the…