US Secretary of State Blinken visits Israel to promote ceasefire in Gaza
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to arrive in Israel on August 18 (local time) as part of Washington's intensified diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, ending the 10-month war between Israel and Hamas.
This is the top US diplomat's ninth visit to the region since the war broke out last October. The visit comes just days after the US put forward proposals that it and mediators Qatar and Egypt believe will bridge the gap between the warring parties.
US officials expressed optimism that a deal could be completed soon but also cautioned that much work remains to be done.
“What we’ve done is bridge the gap and bridge the gap in a way that we think is essentially a deal that’s now ready to be signed and implemented,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters on August 16.
In Israel, Mr. Blinken is expected to meet with the Israeli Prime Minister and other senior officials.
The talks come amid concerns about regional escalation. Iran has threatened to retaliate against Israel after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.
Washington has repeatedly warned Iran against any retaliatory action against Israel. US officials have said such a move could have “catastrophic consequences”, particularly for Iran.
The foreign ministers of the UK, France, Germany and Italy issued a joint statement expressing support for ceasefire talks, calling on all sides to avoid any "escalation".
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Tel Aviv on August 18 on a visit aimed at increasing diplomatic pressure to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Talks on how to implement the deal are expected to continue early this week, before senior officials meet again in Cairo, with the aim of finalizing the deal in Cairo this week.
According to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, the Israeli negotiating team expressed "cautiously optimistic" about the possibility of reaching an agreement on August 17.
Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha told Al Jazeera on 17 August that Israel had added conditions to the ceasefire talks and accused Netanyahu of using them to hamper efforts.
Despite rising hopes for a ceasefire, fighting continues. At least 17 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli attack on the Gaza town of Zawayda on August 17, as Israel issued a new evacuation order, citing rocket attacks from nearby Hamas.
The most recent war in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
The ensuing Israeli military campaign reduced much of Gaza to rubble and left more than 40,000 Palestinians dead, most of them civilians, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israel claims to have killed 17,000 Hamas militants.
