Blinken heads to Tel Aviv as ceasefire talks resume in Cairo

Tel Aviv, Aug 18 (IANS) The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in Tel Aviv on Sunday as part of Washington's diplomatic push to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.This is his ninth trip to the Middle East since Hamas terrorists attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, brutally massacred 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 more to Gaza.

The top US diplomat will oversee the indirect peace talks between Israel and Hamas to be continued in Cairo. After the Doha peace talks held on Thursday and Friday, at the behest of the US, there are hopes of a ceasefire.

The Chief of the Central Intelligence Agency(CIA), William Burns had led the indirect mediatory talks in which the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Egyptian intelligence chief Major General Abbas Kamel took part.

Blinken, according to Israeli officials will meet the President of Israel, Issac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant.

Sources also said that the US Secretary of State will meet David Barnea, Mossad director and Shin Bet chief, who were part of the indirect peace talks in Doha, Qatar.

It may be noted that the families of hostages are in an agitatory mood in Israel with massive protest marches being held in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem against the Netanyahu government for not bringing back the hostages.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists swarmed into southern Israel brutally massacring people and kidnapping 251 more who were forcibly taken to Gaza. Of the 251 hostages, 111 are still in Gaza.The diplomatic efforts for talks are taking place in the shadow of a feared regional escalation as Iran has been threatening to retaliate against Israel after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was killed on July 31. The US has been repeatedly warning Iran not to go ahead with any retaliatory action against Israel.