Blinken meets with Netanyahu in Israel and urges Hamas to accept cease-fire proposal

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

TEL AVIV (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his latest trip to the Middle East. America’s top diplomat on Monday urged approval of a cease-fire proposal that faced new uncertainty following Israel’s hostage rescue operation that killed many Palestinians and turmoil in Netanyahu’s government. There’s been no firm response yet from Hamas or Israel to the proposal. Blinken traveled to Egypt to meet with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo and then flew to Israel for talks with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. While Blinken and other U.S. officials have praised the hostage rescue, the operation left a large number of civilian casualties and may complicate the cease-fire push.