Following Blinken’s arrival in Israel, an official in the accompanying delegation comments on the visit

An official source accompanying Blinken told the Associated Press that the US Secretary of State will meet with senior Israeli officials on Monday before traveling to Egypt on Tuesday.

The same official, who did not reveal his name, added that Blinken’s visit to the region comes at a “critical time” in the ceasefire talks in the Gaza Strip.

He pointed out that Blinken will pressure all parties on the importance of reaching a quick agreement to end the suffering of civilians in Gaza and prevent the conflict from sweeping the region.

Mediators said Blinken’s visit to the region was a last-ditch effort to reach an agreement on Gaza, with negotiations to be held in Cairo later this week.

Earlier, US President Joe Biden confirmed that a ceasefire agreement “is closer than ever.”

For his part, the leader of the Palestinian faction movement denied the validity of the statements about the imminent reaching of an agreement on a ceasefire, explaining that Israel “continues to obstruct all efforts to complete any agreement.”

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office reported that Israeli negotiators returning from the Doha talks expressed “cautious optimism” to Benjamin Netanyahu.

Last Thursday, talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire and releasing the hostages held in the Gaza Strip resumed in the Qatari capital, Doha.

The new round of talks was held in the presence of Israeli intelligence chief David Barnea, his US and Egyptian counterparts, Bill Burns and Abbas Kamel, and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

The two-day round of ceasefire negotiations in Gaza ended without reaching a final agreement. The United States, Egypt and Qatar issued a joint statement indicating that the talks will resume in Cairo before the end of next week based on the terms proposed in the Doha talks.

Source: Associated Press