Blinken: Gaza truce is crucial to avoid to wider war in the Middle East

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared Wednesday in Cairo that a ceasefire in Gaza would be the best way to stop violence from spreading in the Middle East, according to AFP. His comments came during his 10th visit to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war began. In Cairo he with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as part of an effort revive stalled negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S., to end the conflict.

Sisi’s office said the Egyptian president emphasized the need to remove obstacles to aid delivery in Gaza and condemned Israeli actions in the West Bank. Blinken also discussed the recent pager explosions in Lebanon, which killed 12 people and wounded over 2,750. He denied U.S. involvement in the incident, which Hezbollah blamed on Israel, and called for de-escalation.

Blinken’s next stop is Paris where he will brief his French, British and Italian counterparts.