Gaza Cease-Fire Bid Nears Endgame as Blinken Heads to Israel
- US official says negotiations have momentum, but work remains
- Allies seek to deter an Iranian attack as talks continue
This article is for subscribers only.
US officials said efforts to reach a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas are nearing the final stages, as diplomats worked frenetically to bring the fighting to an end at last and also keep Iran from a retaliatory strike that might ignite a wider war.
“We are closer than we’ve ever been” to an agreement, President Joe Biden said in Washington Friday, hours after Egyptian and Qatari mediators and US envoys concluded two days of talks in Doha and vowed to convene another round by the end of next week in Cairo. Biden deployed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel, with the top US diplomat set to depart Saturday to press for the deal.