Pushing cease-fire deal, U.S. secretary of state due in Mideast next week

Continuing the U.S. push for a cease-fire in Gaza eight months into the deadly conflict, the top U.S. diplomat is set for a four-nation Mideast tour next week.

Starting Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Qatar, the State Department said on Friday.

"The Secretary will discuss with partners the need to reach a ceasefire agreement that secures the release of all hostages," said a department statement.

"He will emphasize the importance of Hamas accepting the proposal on the table, which is nearly identical to one Hamas endorsed last month," it added, referring to a recent deal announced by President Joe Biden.

On his three-day trip, Blinken will discuss how the cease-fire proposal would benefit both Israelis and Palestinians, while underscoring that it would alleviate suffering in the Gaza Strip, enable a massive surge in humanitarian assistance, and allow Palestinians to return to their neighborhoods.

"It would unlock the possibility of achieving calm along Israel's northern border-so both displaced Israeli and Lebanese families can return to their homes-and set the conditions for further integration between Israel and its Arab neighbors, strengthening Israel's long-term security and improving stability across the region," it added.

In Jordan, Blinken will attend a conference on the urgent humanitarian response to Gaza, co-hosted by Jordan, Egypt, and the UN.

On May 31, Biden said that Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange, and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last Oct. 7 despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 36,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 83,500 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.