Blinken To Resume Gaza Ceasefire Talks With Israel

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to arrive in Israel on Sunday (August 18, 2024) as part of Washington's intensifying diplomatic push to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza that will end the 10-month-old war between Israel and Hamas.

The top U.S. diplomat's tenth trip to the region since the war began in October,2024 comes days after the United States put forward bridging proposals that it and mediators Qatar and Egypt believe would close gaps between the warring parties.

U.S. officials cite fresh optimism to bring the deal over the finish line but also caution that there is still work to be done.