Egypt Daily News – US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, left the United States on Saturday evening heading to Israel as part of a new attempt by Washington to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, according to an Agence France-Presse journalist.
Blinken’s plane took off from Andrews Base in Maryland and is scheduled to land in Tel Aviv, where he will meet with Israeli leaders.
During his previous trips, the US Secretary of State also visited a number of Arab countries in the region. This time, no other stops on this trip have been announced.
This is Blinken’s ninth trip to the Middle East since the attack launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7.
This trip, for which Blinken postponed his vacation, comes two days after discussions in Doha regarding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip called for by US President Joe Biden.
American officials said progress had been made in the discussions
After the two-day talks, which Hamas was absent from, the mediating countries, the United States, Qatar and Egypt, announced the submission of a new proposal that would “reduce the gaps” between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in the war that has been going on for more than ten months, and the release of the Israeli hostages.
Biden stressed that a ceasefire agreement is “closer than ever”, at a time when efforts are intensifying to avoid the expansion of the war regionally after the escalation of tension between Iran and its allies on the one hand, and Israel and its allies on the other hand.
Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri told Agence France-Presse, “Talk about a ceasefire agreement being close is an illusion.”
He stressed that “the occupation continues to obstruct all efforts to conclude any agreement,” adding, “We are not facing a real agreement or negotiations, but rather facing American dictates.”
On Saturday, Israeli negotiators returning from the Doha talks expressed “cautious optimism” to Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
The office added in a statement, “There is hope that the great pressure of the United States and the mediators on Hamas will allow it to withdraw its opposition to the American proposal, which includes elements acceptable to Israel.”
An American official acknowledged that the negotiating process had not yet reached its “final stage,” noting that diplomats were currently working on preparing a “cell” to be able to quickly implement the terms of any potential agreement.
Reaching a ceasefire agreement would represent a major victory for Biden at a time when the Democratic Party is preparing to meet in Chicago at a conference in which Vice President Kamala Harris will officially nominate to run in the presidential elections next November.
The war broke out after a Hamas attack on Israeli sites and areas on October 7, killing 1,198 people, most of them civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse tally based on official Israeli figures.
During the attack, 251 people were kidnapped, 111 of whom are still being held in Gaza, including 39 who the army says have died.
Israeli raids, bombings and ground operations in the Gaza Strip resulted in the deaths of at least 40,074 people, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.
The negotiations are taking place amid fears of a regional escalation, as Iran threatens to respond to Israel after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, in Tehran on July 31.
Hezbollah also threatens to respond to the killing of a prominent military leader, Fouad Shukr, in an Israeli raid on the southern suburbs of Beirut in late July.
Washington has repeatedly warned Iran against proceeding with any act of revenge against Israel. A US official said that such action could lead to “catastrophic” consequences, especially for Iran.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy expressed their support for the ongoing ceasefire talks, urging all parties to avoid any “escalatory action.”
