Top US diplomat visits Egypt on tour to seek 'enduring end' to war
The US top envoy then left for Qatar and was later to head to Israel, hoping to shore up support for a truce deal that was hashed out in Paris in January
Published: 05:02 PM,Feb 06,2024 | EDITED : 09:02 PM,Feb 06,2024
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo. — AFP
GAZA: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Egypt on Tuesday as part of his latest Middle East crisis tour, seeking a new ceasefire and 'an enduring end' to the Israeli war in Gaza.
Heavy strikes and fighting in Gaza killed at least 107 people in the past 24 hours, said the health ministry in the territory that has been under almost four months of bombardment.
Fears grew for more than a million Palestinians crowded into the far southern Rafah area as the battlefront draws ever closer in Israel's campaign to eradicate Palestinian groups.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned on Monday that the military 'will reach places where we have not yet fought... right up to the last groups bastion, which is Rafah', on the Egyptian border.
Blinken -- on his fifth regional tour since the bloodiest ever Gaza war broke out -- met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a day after he held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.
The US top envoy then left for Qatar and was later to head to Israel, hoping to shore up support for a truce deal that was hashed out in Paris in January but has not yet been signed off.
Israeli troops, with air and naval support, have been engaged in heavy combat centred on Gaza's main southern city of Khan Yunis, much of which has been reduced to rubble.
The army said Tuesday that 'over the past day, dozens have been killed and approximately 80 individuals suspected of involvement in attack activity have been apprehended.'
It added that army snipers had killed more than 15 people, and that a naval vessel had fired missiles at a fighting cell.
A journalist said overnight strikes rocked Khan Yunis and that two air strikes also struck Rafah.
The United States has strongly backed its top regional ally Israel with munitions and diplomatic support, but also urged steps to reduce civilian casualties and to eventually move toward a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
The truce Blinken is hoping to seal proposes a six-week pause to fighting as Hamas frees captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and more aid enters Gaza, according to a Hamas source.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced divisions within his cabinet and public fury over the fate of the remaining captives, said Israel 'will not accept' demands Hamas has made for an exchange involving thousands of prisoners. — AFP
Heavy strikes and fighting in Gaza killed at least 107 people in the past 24 hours, said the health ministry in the territory that has been under almost four months of bombardment.
Fears grew for more than a million Palestinians crowded into the far southern Rafah area as the battlefront draws ever closer in Israel's campaign to eradicate Palestinian groups.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned on Monday that the military 'will reach places where we have not yet fought... right up to the last groups bastion, which is Rafah', on the Egyptian border.
Blinken -- on his fifth regional tour since the bloodiest ever Gaza war broke out -- met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a day after he held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.
The US top envoy then left for Qatar and was later to head to Israel, hoping to shore up support for a truce deal that was hashed out in Paris in January but has not yet been signed off.
Israeli troops, with air and naval support, have been engaged in heavy combat centred on Gaza's main southern city of Khan Yunis, much of which has been reduced to rubble.
The army said Tuesday that 'over the past day, dozens have been killed and approximately 80 individuals suspected of involvement in attack activity have been apprehended.'
It added that army snipers had killed more than 15 people, and that a naval vessel had fired missiles at a fighting cell.
A journalist said overnight strikes rocked Khan Yunis and that two air strikes also struck Rafah.
The United States has strongly backed its top regional ally Israel with munitions and diplomatic support, but also urged steps to reduce civilian casualties and to eventually move toward a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
The truce Blinken is hoping to seal proposes a six-week pause to fighting as Hamas frees captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and more aid enters Gaza, according to a Hamas source.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced divisions within his cabinet and public fury over the fate of the remaining captives, said Israel 'will not accept' demands Hamas has made for an exchange involving thousands of prisoners. — AFP