Blinken visits Egypt for talks on securing Gaza cease-fire

Progress has been made on a Gaza cease-fire deal over the past month and a half, but now Israel and Hamas must show "political will" to get an agreement concluded, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.

“There are, I think, in the agreement, 18 paragraphs, 15 of them are agreed. But the remaining issues need to be resolved,” Blinken said during a joint press conference in Cairo with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.

Abdelatty told reporters via a translator that Hamas has confirmed its full commitment to the cease-fire agreement reached on May 27 and to the amendments made on July 2.

On Wednesday, Blinken and Abdelatty held talks in which they discussed the urgent need for cease-fires in Gaza and Sudan.

While in Cairo, Blinken also held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

Months of talks with United States, Egyptian and Qatari officials mediating have yet to bring a deal suitable to Israel and Hamas. The negotiations have focused on an outline that includes a halt in fighting and the release of hostages still being held by Hamas militants in Gaza.

The U.S. has not provided a timetable for the revised proposal, although officials have indicated that it would be presented soon.

The U.S. continues to engage with countries in the region, particularly Egypt and Qatar, regarding the proposal's contents to ensure it can lead Israel and Hamas to "an ultimate agreement,” according to the State Department.

The push for a cease-fire could be complicated by a series of deadly explosions involving pagers used by members of the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.

The explosions this week came hours after Israel announced the expansion of its war against Hamas to include the goal of making it possible for residents of northern Israel to return to homes they evacuated because of clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his concern about the attack, which has been widely attributed to Israel.

“Because obviously, the logic of making all these devices explode is to do it as a preemptive strike before a major military operation,” he told reporters in New York. “So as important as the event in itself, is the indication that this event confirms that there is a serious risk of a dramatic escalation in Lebanon, and everything must be done to avoid that escalation.”

Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, began its near-daily attacks shortly after the war in Gaza began, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. Hezbollah, which like Hamas is supported by Iran, has said it would halt the attacks if there were a cease-fire deal for Gaza.

Hezbollah is a U.S.-designated terrorist group. Hamas has been designated a terror group by the U.S., the U.K., EU and other Western nations.

On Thursday, Blinken will travel from Cairo to Paris for a meeting with the foreign ministers of France, Italy and Britain to discuss topics that include the Middle East and Ukraine. While in Paris, he also will meet with President Emmanuel Macron.

Blinken’s 10th trip to the Middle East marks the first time he has not visited Israel, Washington’s closest regional ally, since the start of the Gaza war nearly a year ago.

UN meeting

At the United Nations, the General Assembly adopted a resolution on Wednesday calling on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian lands within a year. The text also proposes sanctions and steps towards ending arms shipments to Israel if they could be used in Palestinian areas.

The resolution was adopted with 124 votes in favor and 14 against, with 43 abstentions.

The Palestinian-drafted resolution is trying to build on momentum from an advisory opinion issued in July by the U.N.’s top court, the International Court of Justice. The court said that the annexation and occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful and Israel’s discriminatory laws and policies against Palestinians “are tantamount to the crime of apartheid.”

“We are committed to the rule of international law and to just and lasting peace in our region,” Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said at the start of the two-day meeting on Monday. “This requires ensuring that the same rules apply to all. No bias. No double standards. No exceptionalism. And no exception.

Israel rejected the court’s opinion, and their ambassador urged countries not to support the proposed resolution.

“This is a shameful decision that backs the Palestinian Authority’s diplomatic terrorism,” Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement after the vote.

The United States voted against the measure.

“There is no path forward or hope offered through this resolution today,” Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the assembly on Monday. “Its adoption will not save Palestinian lives, bring the hostages home, end Israeli settlements or reinvigorate the peace process.”

General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but they carry the weight of the international community.

Hamas triggered the Gaza conflict with its October 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages. Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 41,200 Palestinians, a death toll Israel says includes thousands of militant fighters.

VOA State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching, U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer, Kim Lewis and Natasha Mozgovaya contributed to this report.