US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Egypt on Tuesday, August 20, to push for progress on a Gaza ceasefire and a hostage release deal.
As per Reuters, Blinken met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who has been involved in mediating the Gaza talks along with the US and Qatar.
In the meeting, Sisi stressed the need to end the war and warned of the conflict spreading in the region.
Earlier, Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had accepted a US proposal to help bridge gaps in negotiations.
He urged Hamas to also accept this proposal as a basis for continued discussions.
Although Hamas has not outright rejected the proposal but criticized it for overturning previous agreements without specifying how.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with over 40,000 people killed by Israeli military actions since October, according to Palestinian health authorities.
In Gaza, Israeli forces continued fighting Hamas militants, and Palestinian authorities reported 21 deaths from Israeli strikes on Tuesday, including in a school housing displaced people.
