Blinken heads to Cairo in latest push for ceasefire

Secretary of State will attend strategic dialogue meeting in Egypt

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and President Joe Biden. AP

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt on Tuesday for a strategic meeting between the two countries.

It will be Mr Blinken’s 10th trip to the Middle East since October 7, when Hamas militants stormed southern Israel killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping another 240.

The ensuing conflict has killed more than 41,200 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health authorities, and injured about 95,000.

The US, along with Egypt and Qatar, have led diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

“In addition to co-chairing the strategic dialogue, the secretary will meet with Egyptian officials to discuss ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza that secures the release of all hostages, alleviates the suffering of the Palestinian people and helps establish broader regional security,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement on Monday.

Washington and its partners have been working to table a new proposal that would appease both sides.

“We continue to engage with our partners in the region, most specifically with Egypt and Qatar, about what that proposal will contain, and making sure that it's a proposal that can get the parties to an ultimate agreement,” Mr Miller said.

He refused to say when the US hopes to present the proposal but said the parties were working “expeditiously” to get it ready.

Mr Blinken's latest trip comes a week after President Joe Biden's administration decided to give Egypt $1.3 billion in military funding, despite human rights concerns in Washington, which in previous years caused the US to withhold part of the money.