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Source: Global Times

[Global Times reporter Zhao Jueyun] US Secretary of State Blinken ended his ninth trip to the Middle East since October last year and returned to Washington on the 20th local time. His efforts to promote a ceasefire in Gaza failed. Reuters believes that although Blinken's visit has added urgency to reaching a ceasefire agreement, there are still several differences between Hamas and Israel, and a ceasefire in Gaza is still out of reach.

On August 20, 2024, local time, in Doha, Qatar, US Secretary of State Blinken waved before leaving at the end of his visit. (Visual China)

According to CNN, after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on the 19th, Blinken visited Egypt and Qatar. According to the New York Times, Blinken met with Egyptian President Sisi and Foreign Minister Abdul Ati in Egypt. In Doha, the capital of Qatar, Blinken's originally scheduled meeting with Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Al-Thani was canceled and replaced by a phone call. A US official revealed that the adjustment was due to Al-Thani's temporary physical discomfort.

According to Al-Monitor, a Middle East news website based in the United States, Sisi and Blinken agreed that it is necessary to ensure that Hamas and Israel reach an agreement to end the hostilities in the Gaza Strip and release the remaining hostages held by the organization in the Gaza Strip. Sisi said after the talks with Blinken that "the ceasefire in Gaza must be the beginning of a broader international recognition of the State of Palestine and the implementation of a two-state solution, because this is the fundamental guarantee for stability in the region."

Reuters said that at present, the United States and Egypt and Qatar, as mediators, are pinning their hopes on a "transitional agreement" proposed by the United States, which aims to narrow the differences between Hamas and Israel in the 10-month war. Last week, a new round of negotiations was held in Doha, but no breakthrough was made and Hamas did not send representatives to participate.

Reuters quoted Blinken's speech to the media before his return on the 21st as saying that the agreement "needs to be reached and needs to be reached in the next few days, and we will do everything we can to get it across the finish line." A senior Biden administration official traveling with Blinken said the United States expects ceasefire negotiations to continue this week.