Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, arrived in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday for discussions with Arab foreign ministers concerning a potential cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
According to Egypt's state news agency MENA, Blinken is set to meet with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry during his visit.
Additionally, he will participate in a meeting with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Blinken commenced his regional tour on Wednesday with talks in Saudi Arabia to address the cease-fire proposal for Gaza. He is scheduled to visit Israel on Friday.
In a statement on Wednesday, the top diplomat revealed that the US has presented a draft resolution to the UN Security Council, urging an "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza contingent upon the release of hostages held by Hamas.
"We actually have a resolution that we put forward right now that's before the United Nations Security Council that does call for an immediate cease-fire tied to the release of hostages, and we hope very much that countries will support that," he stated in an interview with Saudi Al-Arabiya television.
Hamas, purportedly holding nearly 130 Israeli hostages, seeks an end to Israel's ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip as a condition for any hostage negotiations with Israel.
A previous agreement in November resulted in the release of 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners in exchange for 240 Palestinians, including 71 women and 169 children.
Since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas, Israel has conducted a deadly military operation in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis. Nearly 32,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, have been killed in Gaza, with over 74,000 injured and significant destruction and shortages of essential supplies.
The Israeli offensive has displaced 85% of Gaza's population internally, exacerbated by a severe blockade restricting access to food, water, and medicine. The UN reports that 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
Israel currently faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling issued in January mandated Tel Aviv to ensure its forces refrain from acts of genocide and guarantee the provision of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.
