Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with Israeli leaders on Monday as part of his latest efforts to secure a cease-fire deal that could end the war in Gaza and help defuse wider tensions in the Middle East.
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Blinken to hold talks with Netanyahu amid push for Gaza cease-fire
Hamas officials dispelled U.S. and other negotiators’ optimism over the weekend regarding the prospects of reaching a deal, accusing Israel of thwarting mediators’ efforts and shifting the terms to delay any agreement.
A key point of contention is Israel’s insistence on maintaining a military presence along the Philadelphi Corridor between Egypt and Gaza. Hamas has demanded a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Here’s what else to know
Blinken spoke with Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, the Saudi foreign minister, on Sunday. According to U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel, the pair discussed the efforts to finalize a cease-fire deal, and Saudi Arabia’s role in continuing the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, as well as concerns about the Houthis, an Iranian-backed rebel group.
At least 40,099 people have been killed and 92,609 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority of the dead are women and children. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, mostly civilians, and says 331 soldiers have been killed since the launch of its military operation in Gaza.