Blinken Heading To Israel To Press Gaza Truce

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel this weekend to push forward a Gaza ceasefire deal as the United States tries to bridge the gaps in talks in the region, the State Department said.

Blinken will leave Saturday and seek to "conclude the agreement for a ceasefire and release of hostages and detainees through the bridging proposal" presented Friday during talks in Doha by the United States, a State Department statement said.

President Joe Biden earlier Friday said that "we are closer than we have ever been" to a ceasefire in the 10-month-old Gaza war after two days of talks in the Qatari capital Doha.

"We're not there yet. It's much, much closer than it was three days ago. So keep your fingers crossed," Biden said.

Biden spoke by telephone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to discuss the "significant progress" in the talks, National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said.

Biden and the two key Arab leaders had publicly urged Hamas and Israel to join the talks.

The White House said diplomats will keep working on details with a hope to conclude the accord later next week in Cairo.

"This is kind of the final stage -- the end game of the process," a senior US official told reporters on customary condition of anonymity.

The diplomats are setting up an "implementation cell" so that an agreement will "be implemented rapidly once deal is included," he said.

The State Department statement said the proposal "would achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, secure the release of all hostages, ensure humanitarian assistance is distributed throughout Gaza and create the conditions for broader regional stability."

"Secretary Blinken will underscore the critical need for all parties in the region to avoid escalation or any other actions that could undermine the ability to finalize an agreement," it said.

It will be the ninth trip by Blinken to the Middle East since Hamas on October 7 carried out the deadliest-ever attack on Israel, which has responded with a relentless military campaign in Gaza.

The State Department did not immediately announce any stops after Israel. Blinken has met with key Arab allies on previous trips.

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