U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday evening, coming from Egypt, as part of his regional tour to facilitate mediation efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.
His arrival was reported by Qatari media and broadcasted by Al Jazeera, though details on the duration of his stay and the agenda were not disclosed.
Earlier on Tuesday, Blinken discussed the developments in the Gaza negotiations with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in the new city of Alamein, northwest Egypt, following his visit to Israel. Egypt is expected to host another round of consultations before the end of this week.
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas took place in Doha on August 15 and 16, with plans announced for continuing the discussions in Cairo.
On the same day, Hamas responded to statements made by U.S. President Joe Biden, who hours earlier suggested that the movement was retreating from a ceasefire agreement, calling them "misleading claims." Hamas emphasized its commitment to ending the war.
By Tuesday evening, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority cited unnamed sources within the Israeli negotiation team stating that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was attempting to "explode" the negotiations and obstruct a deal with Hamas.
On Sunday, Netanyahu reaffirmed his insistence on maintaining Israeli military control over the Philadelphi Corridor, a border area between Gaza and Egypt, while opposition leader Yair Lapid accused him of stalling and sabotaging the negotiations.
Since October 7, 2023, with U.S. support, Israel has waged a war on Gaza, resulting in over 133,000 Palestinian casualties, predominantly children and women, with more than 10,000 missing, amidst widespread destruction and severe famine.
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