Blinken in Middle East to sell Gaza ceasefire deal

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has called on governments around the Middle East to press Hamas to say yes to a Gaza peace deal recently unveiled by President Joe Biden as he began his latest tour of the region.

Speaking after meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in Cairo, Mr Blinken said: «My message to governments throughout the region, to people throughout the region, is — if you want a ceasefire, press Hamas to say 'yes',»

Washington says its proposal envisions a ceasefire in stages, ultimately leading to a permanent end to the war. But Israel still says it will agree only to temporary pauses until Hamas is defeated, while Hamas says it will not accept a truce without guarantees that the war will end.

«If you want to alleviate the terrible suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, press Hamas to say 'yes'. If you want to get all the hostages home, press Hamas to say 'yes'. If you want to put Israelis and Palestinians alike on the path to more durable peace and security, press Hamas to say 'yes',» Mr Blinken told reporters before departing Egypt. He later arruved in Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Ahead of Mr Blinken's trip, Israel and Hamas both doubled down on hardline positions that have scuppered all previous attempts to end the fighting, while Israel has pressed on with assaults in central and southern Gaza, among the bloodiest of the war.

«We are committed to total victory,» Mr Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office, quoting remarks he made on Sunday to relatives of Israelis killed in Gaza. He said he would reject a Hamas demand to «commit to stopping the war without achieving our goals of eliminating Hamas».

Hamas and its allies Islamic Jihad said in a joint