US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit Egypt and Israel today at a critical time as Washington seeks to increase pressure on Hamas and Israel to reach a ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip and ensure the conflict does not expand into Lebanon.
In his eighth visit to the region since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, triggering the bloodiest episode in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the top US diplomat will also travel to Jordan and Qatar this week.
Blinken will meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo before traveling to Israel later today, where he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to a State Department schedule.
The visit follows US President Joe Biden’s May 31 proposal for a three-phase ceasefire plan from Israel, which envisions a permanent end to hostilities, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the reconstruction of Gaza.
The Hamas attack killed 1,200 people and took approximately 250 others hostage, according to Israeli sources. In response, Israel launched an assault on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory reported on Sunday, reducing the enclave to ruins.
Israeli forces rescued four hostages held by Hamas in a raid in Gaza on Saturday, during which 274 Palestinians were killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Blinken’s trip comes after Israeli Minister Benny Gantz announced his resignation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s emergency government on Sunday, withdrawing the only centrist power in Netanyahu’s otherwise far-right coalition during the Gaza war.
Gantz’s departure does not pose an immediate threat to the government but could have serious implications, leaving Netanyahu reliant on hardliners, with no end in sight to the war and a potential escalation in fighting with Lebanese Hezbollah.
Blinken has previously met with Gantz on visits to Israel.
The conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah is dangerously poised after more than eight months of fighting triggered by the Gaza war, with hostilities escalating and both sides signaling readiness for a larger confrontation.
During this week’s trip, Blinken will discuss with partners the need to reach a ceasefire agreement that secures the release of all hostages and prevents further escalation of the conflict, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Friday.
He will emphasize the importance of Hamas accepting the proposal on the table, Miller added.
Ceasefire talks have intensified since Biden’s speech, with CIA Director William Burns meeting senior officials from mediators Qatar and Egypt on Wednesday in Doha to discuss the plan.
Biden has repeatedly declared that ceasefires were close over the past several months, but there has been only one, week-long truce, in November.
