9/18/2024–|Last update: 9/18/202408:13 AM (Makkah Time)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Wednesday morning on a quick visit during which he will discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
This is Blinken’s tenth visit to the region since the beginning of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip about a year ago, but it will not include Israel or any other country.
The US State Department announced that Blinken will discuss with Egyptian officials the ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza that guarantees the release of detained prisoners, alleviates the suffering of the Palestinian people, and helps establish broader regional security.
US officials privately acknowledge that they do not expect a breakthrough during the talks that Blix will hold in Cairo on Wednesday.
The US administration fears that the approaching end of President Joe Biden’s term will squander the chances of reaching an agreement and increase the risk of the war expanding.
Blinken is scheduled to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and will co-chair the opening of the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdel Aty.
Tripartite mediation
Egypt, along with the United States and Qatar, plays a key role in mediating between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel.
Despite the ongoing mediation efforts for months, and the presentation of one agreement proposal after another to end the war on Gaza and exchange prisoners, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to set new conditions, which Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Mossad chief David Barnea previously warned would hinder reaching a deal.
One of the most prominent of these conditions is the continuation of Israeli control over the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt, which was rejected by both Hamas and Cairo.
Hamas insists on a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Strip, a complete cessation of the war, a guarantee of the return of the displaced, and a fair prisoner exchange deal, in order to accept any agreement.
With American support, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, leaving more than 136,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amidst massive destruction and deadly famine.