Mediators insisted that all parties were closer to a final agreement after this week’s talks. “We’re much, much closer than we were three days ago,” President Joe Biden told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to visit Israel this weekend to try to advance talks on a ceasefire and hostage release.
“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Israel on August 17 to continue intensive diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages and detainees through the bridging proposal the United States made today, with the support of Egypt and Qatar,” the State Department said in a statement.
