What we know Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, as he tries to advance the cease-fire talks and pushes for a larger postwar settlement for the Gaza Strip. The meetings came after Saudi Arabia said it would not engage in diplomatic relations with Israel without recognition of an independent Palestinian state and an end to the assault on the enclave. Hamas has proposed a cease-fire plan that would include the release of 1,500 prisoners, including 500 people serving life sentences, an Arab source has told NBC News. The proposal also includes developing a three-year plan, with a road map to rebuild homes and other infrastructure destroyed in the war, the source said. A Kata’ib Hezbollah commander was killed in a U.S. drone strike today in Baghdad as part of the country's response to an attack on American forces in the region two weeks ago. The U.S. first launched retaliatory strikes in both Iraq and Syria last week following an attack on a base in Jordan, which killed three U.S. soldiers. Iran-backed Houthi militants fired six anti-ship ballistic missiles toward the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, a U.S. defense official told NBC News. Three of the missiles were attempting to hit a bulk carrier transiting the Gulf of Aden. Earlier, the Houthis released a statement threatening to "escalate more and more" unless the "aggression" against Gaza ends. More than 27,700 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 67,000 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead. Israeli military officials said at least 224 soldiers have been killed during the ground invasion of Gaza. NBC News’ Keir Simmons, Raf Sanchez, Courtney Kube, Matt Bradley and Chantal Da Silva are reporting from the region.