Blinken joins 11th-hour talks on Gaza ceasefire deal

The US secretary of state has arrived in Israel for 11th-hour talks aimed at shoring up a deal for a lasting ceasefire in the war in Gaza, amid signals from Israeli and Hamas officials that a breakthrough is not as close as international mediators had suggested.

- Bethan McKernan

Antony Blinken flew into Tel Aviv yesterday as part of renewed US efforts to broker a ceasefire in the 10-month-old conflict, negotiations seen as even more urgent after last month's assassinations of a top Hezbollah commander and the Hamas political chief, Ismail Haniyeh.

It is hoped a ceasefire would lower the temperature in the Middle East and dissuade Iran and Hezbollah from retaliatory action that could cause the war in Gaza to slide quickly into a region-wide conflict.

The US's top diplomat will seek to "conclude the agreement for a ceasefire and release of hostages and detainees" during his 10th visit to the region since the war broke out following Hamas's 7 October attack, the state department said. Blinken is expected to meet senior leaders including Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, today before travelling to Egypt.

The mediators, America, Qatar and Egypt, struck an optimistic tone after two days of talks in the Qatari capital Doha last week, announcing a "bridging proposal" had been agreed.

Negotiations to close remaining gaps are expected to resume in Cairo on Wednesday or Thursday.

The US is keen to announce a deal during the Cairo summit, as the focus in Washington turns to November's US election. However, Hamas, which is not directly participating in this round of talks, has said the idea that a deal is getting closer is "an illusion".

Israeli officials have also expressed caution. "After the United States accepted most of [Israel's] demands, we have to be flexible on the clarifications that were added," an unnamed source told Israel's Channel 12.

"Otherwise, there isn't any chance of bringing Hamas to the table... from its perspective, this is an American-Israeli proposal."