U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Egypt and Israel on Monday, aiming to press Hamas and Israel towards a ceasefire in Gaza and prevent the conflict from spreading to Lebanon.
This marks Blinken’s eighth trip to the region since the deadly Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. He will also visit Jordan and Qatar this week.
In Cairo, Blinken will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi before heading to Israel to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. This visit follows President Joe Biden’s three-phase ceasefire proposal on May 31, which includes ending hostilities, releasing hostages and prisoners, and rebuilding Gaza.
The Hamas attack resulted in 1,200 Israeli deaths and 250 hostages. Israel’s counter-assault on Gaza has killed over 37,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and has devastated the area. Israeli forces recently rescued four hostages in a Gaza raid that killed 274 Palestinians.
Blinken’s visit comes after Benny Gantz resigned from Netanyahu’s emergency government, potentially destabilizing the coalition amid ongoing conflict with Lebanese Hezbollah. Blinken will stress the importance of Hamas accepting the ceasefire proposal and discuss ways to prevent further escalation with regional partners.
Ceasefire negotiations have intensified since Biden’s speech, with CIA Director William Burns meeting officials from Qatar and Egypt in Doha. Despite Biden’s frequent assurances of imminent ceasefires, only one truce has occurred since the conflict began.
