Top US diplomat Blinken to push for Gaza ceasefire proposal on Middle East tour

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to travel to Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Qatar from June 10-12, the State Department said on Friday, as the US tries to put pressure on both Israel and Hamas to accept a Gaza ceasefire proposal on the table.

In his eighth visit to the Middle East since Hamas militants attacked Israeli cities on October 7, triggering the latest flare-up in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the top US diplomat is set to meet senior leaders in the aforementioned four countries.

Blinken to discuss benefits of Gaza ceasefire proposal

Blinken’s high-profile visit comes days after US President Joe Biden laid out a fresh ceasefire plan to bring an end to the eight-month-long brutal fighting. His trip also comes against a backdrop of raging tensions between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.

In a statement, the US State Department noted that Blinken is expected to discuss the benefits the ceasefire proposal holds for both Israelis and Palestinians, and underscore that it can alleviate suffering in Gaza and enable a surge in humanitarian assistance.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently highlighted Israel’s readiness to deliver strong action in the north. He raised a serious warning in December that Beirut would be turned “into Gaza” if Hezbollah triggered an all-out conflict.

Blinken to accompany Biden for G7 Leaders’ Summit

The brutal Gaza crisis erupted on October 7 as Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking more than 250 others hostages. Israel’s retaliatory strikes, on the other hand, have claimed at least 36,000 lives, according to Gaza authorities.

During his trip to Jordan, Blinken is expected to attend a conference on the urgent humanitarian response to the Gaza Strip, co-hosted by Jordan, Egypt and the UN. He is also scheduled to accompany Biden in Italy from June 13-14 for the G7 Leaders’ Summit.

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