Secretary of State Antony Blinken must have a travel agent with a knack for dystopian geopolitics. His upcoming Middle East tour is all about rallying support for a ceasefire proposal in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. If securing cease-fires were a sport, Blinken would be out here trying to beat Ash Ketchum's record of catching 'em all.

The whirlwind diplomatic journey will include stops in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar, blending together a veritable Middle Eastern buffet of political delicacies [CBS]. Along the way, he'll be pushing a ceasefire proposal that aims to pull off the Houdini-like feat of securing the release of all hostages [CBS] [Fox] [USA Today].

Why all the hustle? Well, aside from the glaring humanitarian issues, the U.S. is biting its diplomatic nails over the potential escalation of the conflict involving Hezbollah, adding yet another layer of anxiety [Fox]. Nothing says "Thanksgiving stress" like trying to prevent a regional war while avoiding the awkward family dinner conversations about it.

Part of Blinken’s discussions will gravitate around preventing the Gaza war from spilling over into Lebanon [Fox]. As President Joe Biden charmingly outlined, the ceasefire proposal includes a three-phase action plan: ending hostilities permanently, securing the release of hostages, and reconstructing Gaza from its current rubble state [Fox]. It's an ambitious To-Do list with "fix the Middle East" as the only item.

However, if recent events are any indication, Blinken’s tour won’t be a cakewalk. An Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp recently killed at least 35 people, according to UN officials [CBS]. Israel, for its part, continues to defend its actions, stating that Hamas uses civilians as human shields [CBS]. This dance between military action and condemnation is playing out under a fierce international spotlight.

Adding to the drama, an Israeli raid to rescue four hostages from Gaza resulted in 274 Palestinian deaths [USA Today]. Not exactly the kind of metrics to inspire confidence in a peaceful resolution. Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry reports more than 37,000 Palestinian deaths so far, painting a tragic portrait of the conflict's human cost [Fox].

Interestingly, at this climactic moment, Israeli Vice-Minister Benny Gantz decided it was the perfect time to resign from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency government [Fox]. Gantz must have deduced that working towards an emergency resolution in the middle of an emergency was just a tad too stressful. Netanyahu, however, remains resolute, insisting that the war will continue until Hamas is eradicated [USA Today].

Blinken’s diplomatic escapade is occurring amid intensifying international scrutiny over Israel's military actions and dire humanitarian concerns in Gaza [CBS] [Fox] [USA Today]. Each destination on his tour promises to be more fraught than a political family dinner, with everyone having opinions but very few having consensus.

Blinken’s mission is daunting but necessary. Will he catch all the cease-fires he and President Biden are after? Only time will tell. For now, gather your Pokémon cards, Mr. Blinken, because it’s going to be one epic trading session.