Antony Blinken on Saudi visit from Monday, Gaza truce talks on table

TEL AVIV: The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia from Monday.

Blinken's visit is aimed at giving impetus to the peace process in the Middle East and work on the release of Israeli hostages. Sources in Israel's defence ministry told IANS that while Blinken will not visit Israel during this trip, he will be engaging with Egyptian and Qatari leaders on the Israeli hostages' release issue.

American State Department spokesman Mathew Miller in a statement said, “The Secretary will discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza that secures the release of hostages and it is Hamas that is standing between the Palestinian people and a ceasefire.”

It may be recalled that Israel has already sounded Hamas through Egyptian mediators that if at least 33 hostages are not released immediately the ground invasion of the Rafah region in the southern Gaza strip would commence.

Israel has also said that its elite Nahal brigade is already positioned to enter the Rafah region if the diplomatic talks fail.

Meanwhile, Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz has warned Hamas that Israel would not allow Hamas to drag its feet on the hostage release issue. The foreign ministry sources told IANS that the foreign minister has warned that Israel would enter the Rafah region if a minimum number of hostages are not released immediately.