Blinken to meet Al-Sisi on Gaza hostage deal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Cairo today for a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi as Washington works to advance a Gaza truce and hostage deal mediated by the Egyptians and Qataris, Reuters has reported.

The senior US diplomat left Riyadh shortly after sunrise for what is set to be a marathon day visiting Egypt and Qatar before flying to Israel to discuss hostage negotiations, post-war Gaza plans and the prospect of Arab countries and Israel normalising ties.

Blinken’s fifth trip to the region since October comes as the US presses ahead with its retaliatory campaign against Iran-aligned militia which attacked and killed US troops in a military outpost in Jordan last month.

Washington sees a possible truce to free remaining hostages held by Hamas since 7 October and pause the fighting in Gaza as key to progress on other challenges. These include the governance of post-war Gaza, a path towards Palestinian statehood and a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalise their relations.

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