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Blinken Arrives in Cairo for Start of Mideast Visit

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (AP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (AP)
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Blinken Arrives in Cairo for Start of Mideast Visit

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (AP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Sunday in Egypt at the start of a Middle East trip on which he will look to notch down Israeli-Palestinian tensions after an eruption of violence.

Blinken will hold discuss the Israeli-Palestinian situation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, especially that Egypt plays a traditional role as a Middle East mediator for the Palestinians.

Blinken will travel Monday and Tuesday to Jerusalem and Ramallah after his stop in Cairo.

Blinken is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and call "broadly for steps to be taken to de-escalate tensions," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

In Egypt, Blinken is also expected to discuss regional issues such as Libya and Sudan, the State Department said.

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Israeli Official Says Hamas is Only Obstacle to Release of Hostages

Destroyed buildings stand inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Destroyed buildings stand inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
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Israeli Official Says Hamas is Only Obstacle to Release of Hostages

Destroyed buildings stand inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Destroyed buildings stand inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israel is fully committed to reaching an agreement to return its hostages from Gaza but faces obstruction from Hamas, a senior Israeli foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

"Hamas is the only obstacle to the release of the hostages," foreign ministry director general Eden Bar Tal told a briefing with reporters.

Both Israel and Hamas are under pressure from outgoing US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump to reach a deal before the Jan. 20 inauguration. But the sides have come close before, only to have talks collapse over various disagreements.

Israel says about 100 hostages remain in Gaza — at least a third of whom it believes were killed during the Oct. 7 attack or died in captivity.

The first batch of hostages to be released is expected to be made up mostly of women, older people and people with medical conditions, according to the Israeli, Egyptian and Hamas officials.