Blinken Returns to Mideast as US Presses Stalled Cease-Fire Plan
- Visit comes after key Israel coalition member Gantz quits
- Hamas, Israel have resisted latest US-backed cease-fire plan
Secretary of State Antony Blinken lands in Egypt on Monday and is expected to meet President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi as the US attempts to push a last-ditch cease-fire proposal publicly endorsed by President Joe Biden but brushed off so far by both Israel and Hamas.
Blinken is first set to meet senior officials in Egypt, which along with Qatar has been helping mediate between Israel and Hamas. Blinken then travels to Israel where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government is under renewed pressure after retired general Benny Gantz resigned from the emergency war cabinet.