Antony Blinken in Middle East, says he is focused on Gaza ceasefire deal
Al Jazeera
Top US diplomat says countries in the region should press Hamas to accept Biden’s ceasefire proposal.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in the Middle East on his latest trip to the region, which he said will focus on Washington’s Gaza truce proposal and the future of the Palestinian territory after the war.
Blinken met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo on Monday, renewing US calls for the Palestinian group Hamas to accept a truce deal presented by President Joe Biden late in May.
The top US diplomat will hold further talks in Israel, Qatar and Jordan this week.
Speaking to reporters before leaving Egypt, Blinken squarely blamed Hamas for prolonging the war, saying that the Palestinian group is an “outlier” in the region for not agreeing to the US deal.
“My message to governments throughout the region, to people throughout the region, if you want a ceasefire, press Hamas to say yes,” he told reporters.
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