U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Egypt and Israel on Monday to push for a Gaza ceasefire and prevent the conflict from spreading to Lebanon. This will be Blinken’s eighth trip to the region since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. He will also visit Jordan and Qatar this week.
In Cairo, Blinken will meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi before traveling to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. This visit follows President Joe Biden’s three-phase ceasefire proposal on May 31, which aims to end hostilities, release hostages and prisoners, and rebuild Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Egypt and Israel on Monday to push for a Gaza ceasefire and prevent the conflict from spreading to Lebanon, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and devastated the area. Recently, Israeli forces rescued four hostages in a Gaza raid that killed 274 Palestinians.
Blinken’s visit follows the resignation of Benny Gantz from Netanyahu’s emergency government, which could destabilize the coalition amid ongoing conflict with Lebanese Hezbollah. Blinken will emphasize 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.