Cairo — US secretary of state Antony Blinken landed in Cairo on Tuesday for his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi as the US works to advance a Gaza truce and hostage deal mediated by the Egyptians and Qataris.
The top US diplomat departed Riyadh shortly after sunrise for what is set to be a marathon day visiting Egypt and Qatar before flying to Israel to discuss hostage negotiations, post-war Gaza plans and the prospect of Arab countries and Israel normalising ties.
Blinken's fifth trip to the region since October comes as the US presses ahead with its retaliatory campaign against Iran-aligned militia, which attacked and killed US troops in a military outpost in Jordan, in January.
Washington sees a possible truce to free remaining hostages Hamas kidnapped on October 7 and pause fighting in Gaza as key to progress on other challenges, such as the governance of post-war Gaza, a path towards Palestinian statehood and a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalise their relationship.
Reuters
