Top US diplomat Antony Blinken urged Hamas to accept a truce in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, as the group responded to criticism by Israel’s ally. Blinken’s comments come after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a day earlier vowed to send troops into its far southern city of Rafah. Washington has heightened pressure on all sides to reach a ceasefire – a message pushed by Blinken, who was on his seventh regional tour since the Gaza war broke out on October 7. An Israeli official told AFP the government “will wait for answers until Wednesday night”, and then “make a decision” whether to …