US envoy McGurk in Cairo to focus on humanitarian pause, hostage deal

1 year ago

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President Biden’s senior Middle East adviser Brett McGurk. [MAZEN MAHDI/AFP via Getty Images]

US Middle East envoy, Brett McGurk, is in Cairo on Tuesday for “active” discussions on ensuring the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and securing a humanitarian pause, the White House said on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

White House spokesperson, John Kirby, said the Biden administration would absolutely support a longer humanitarian pause.

He said McGurk was also discussing other issues, including getting an assessment of Israel’s military operations and its efforts to protect civilians, as well as continuing to explore the idea of a normalisation of Israel-Saudi ties.

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