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Blinken visits Egypt again in pursuit of Gaza ceasefire deal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt on Tuesday to discuss the status of negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, his office reported on Monday.

The head of American diplomacy will travel to this Arab country from Tuesday to Thursday, where he will participate in the strategic dialogue between the United States and Egypt alongside the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr Abdelatty.

Additionally, Blinken “will meet with Egyptian officials to discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza that secures the release of all hostages, alleviates the suffering of the Palestinian people, and strengthens regional security,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

Egypt and Qatar are the main mediators between Israel and Hamas, brokering the planned hostage release and the multi-phase ceasefire announced last May by US President Joe Biden.

The Palestinian Islamist group insists that a truce agreement must include Israel's final withdrawal from Gaza, particularly from the Philadelphia Corridor, on the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt and where the Rafah crossing is located.

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on maintaining Israeli troops in the Philadelphia corridor, which he considers essential for the security of his country. The border between Gaza and Egypt and the Rafah tunnels have been the crossing point for weapons and equipment needed to build Hamas' tunnel network and Israel wants to control this passage at all costs.

This corridor has been occupied by Israeli troops since May, when they invaded the city of Rafah and took control of the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, a country that also categorically rejects the Israeli presence on the border. (EFE)

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