Blinken In Egypt As Whistlestop Visits To Push Ceasefire Deal Continue

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Egypt as part of his latest whistlestop tour intended to push for a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Blinken will meet with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in El Alamein, before traveling to Doha for talks with Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

• As MNI noted on 19 Aug, it would appear that Israel has accepted the latest 'bridging proposal' from the US (see 'SECURITY: Blinken Says Netanyahu Accepted "Bridging" Proposal For Gaza Ceasefire', 19 Aug 1837BST). Hamas, however, maintains that the deal is not acceptable due to changes demanded by the Israeli side.
• Blinken's trip comes as the IDF confirms that it has recovered the bodies of six Israeli hostages held by Hamas since the 7 October attacks. The captives' remains were found in the southern Gazan town of Khan Younis. Such incidents put increasing domestic pressure on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal ASAP.
• Indirect talks involving Israel, but not Hamas, will resume this week (no date yet specified) in Cairo following last week's negotiations in Doha.
• Iran has said that even if a ceasefire deal is reached, it will still be within its rights to 'respond' to the killing of Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. An Iranian attack on Israel could imperil a Gaza ceasefire, either reducing the chances of an agreement or risking an escalation should a ceasefire be in place by that point.