Blinken Arrives in Egypt to Push for Gaza Ceasefire

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Cairo on Wednesday in an effort to revive ceasefire negotiations for Gaza, a process made more difficult by recent explosions targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.

This marked Blinken’s 10th trip to the Middle East since the Gaza conflict began nearly a year ago. During his visit, he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and planned a press conference with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. However, there are no plans for him to travel to other Arab capitals or Israel.

According to the U.S. State Department, the primary focus of Blinken’s visit was discussing the ongoing negotiation efforts with Egyptian officials. Although U.S. officials privately acknowledged they did not expect significant breakthroughs, Blinken aimed to sustain pressure for a potential agreement between Israel and Hamas.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller emphasized the importance of moving toward a deal without further delays, while avoiding any specific timeline for a proposal. The key sticking points include Israel’s refusal to withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor on the Egypt-Gaza border and new demands from Hamas regarding the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

Blinken’s visit also came after explosions hit Hezbollah members’ pagers across Lebanon, killing at least nine and injuring 2,800 others, an attack that Hezbollah blamed on Israel. Israel has not commented on the blasts, but had earlier stated it was broadening its war aims to include targeting Hezbollah.

While in Cairo, Blinken is also expected to discuss strengthening U.S.-Egypt relations. Egypt, although frequently accused of human rights abuses, remains a key U.S. partner. Last week, Washington released $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt without imposing rights conditions, unlike the previous year.

After his Cairo visit, Blinken is scheduled to travel to Paris to brief officials from France, Britain, and Italy.