U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv in Israel on Sunday as he begins a Middle East tour with hopes of intensifying diplomatic pressure for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza this week.
The trip marks Blinken’s 10th time visiting the region since October, when the war between the terrorist organization and Israel began.
The secretary is expected to meet with senior Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday, a senior State Department official said.
After his visit to Israel, Blinken will travel to Egypt to continue his tour.
A senior Biden administration official told reporters on the way to Tel Aviv that talks to strike a deal for a cease-fire and release of hostages held in Gaza were at an ‘inflection point,’ adding that Blinken would be stressing to all parties the importance of getting this deal locked in.
‘We think this is a critical time,’ the official said.
‘The secretary is going to use this trip, starting with Israel, to just continue to stress the importance of getting this done,’ the official added. ‘I think it is apparent that a deal would not only be in the interest of the Israeli people but would also help alleviate some of the suffering in Gaza.’
Qatar, the U.S. and Egypt are mediating the discussions, though none have been able to get Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement after months of on-off negotiations.
Netanyahu’s office released a statement on Sunday, saying serial leakers are harming the ability to advance a deal.
‘They claimed for months that Hamas would never agree to give in on ending the war as a condition for a deal, and proposed giving in to Hamas’s demand,’ the statement read. ‘They were wrong then – and they are also wrong today. The Prime Minister has strongly insisted on this fundamental demand, which is vital to achieving the goals of the war, and Hamas changed its position.’
The prime minister’s office said Netanyahu continues to insist that Israeli forces remain on a border strip between Gaza and Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, to prevent weapons from being smuggled into Gaza.
‘The Prime Minister will continue to work on advancing a deal that will maximize the number of living hostages and which will enable the achieving of all of the war objectives,’ the office added.
Fox News’ Yonat Friling and Reuters contributed to this report.