Middle East conflict live updates: New optimism on cease-fire talks as Blinken visits region

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken continues his tour of the Middle East on Tuesday, heading to Jordan and Israel with a focus on getting more humanitarian aid to civilians in the embattled Gaza Strip. The visit, his seventh to the region since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, comes amid fresh optimism that negotiations could lead to a cease-fire.

Here’s what to know

• British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Monday that there is a potential deal for a “sustained” 40-day Gaza cease-fire. Blinken called the proposal “extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel.” A former Egyptian official with knowledge of the talks said the initial truce would involve the release of 33 hostages. Israel had originally demanded the release of 40.
• Members of Congress are warning of a backlash if the International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for senior Israeli political figures, as foreshadowed by Israeli media but not confirmed by the global court. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote on social media that the ICC “should stand down on this immediately.”
• At least 34,488 people have been killed and 77,643 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority of the dead are women and children.
• Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, including more than 300 soldiers, and says 263 soldiers have been killed since the launch of its military operation in Gaza.

1:51 AM: Blinken continues Middle East tour with stops in Jordan and Israel

Middle East conflict live updates: New optimism on cease-fire talks as Blinken visits region

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken continues his tour of the Middle East on Tuesday, heading to Jordan and Israel with a focus on getting more humanitarian aid to civilians in the embattled Gaza Strip.

In Jordan, Blinken is set to meet with Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman and Jordanian King Abdullah II — who has long pushed for increased humanitarian aid into Gaza and personally taken part in airdrops into the Palestinian enclave.

Blinken’s visit, his seventh to the region since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, comes amid fresh optimism that negotiations could lead to a cease-fire.

In Saudi Arabia on Monday, Blinken addressed the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying that the most effective way to “alleviate the suffering … is to get a cease-fire and the hostages home.” He added that the United States was pushing Israel to take steps to protect civilians, improve humanitarian conditions and keep aid workers safe.

Blinken described the latest cease-fire proposal as “extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel.” A former Egyptian official with knowledge of the talks said the initial truce would involve the release of 33 hostages. Israel had originally demanded the release of 40.

Missy Ryan and Steve Hendrix contributed to this report.

By: Rachel Pannett

1:51 AM: Parties see hope for a Gaza cease-fire: ‘Maybe this time it will work’

At the al-Najjar hospital in Rafah on Monday, Palestinians mourn relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike.

JERUSALEM — Mediators expressed hope Monday, once again, that Israel and Hamas were inching toward an agreement to halt fighting in Gaza and release dozens of Israeli hostages — a last, best chance to prevent a return to full-scale war.

The signs of optimism came after Israel presented terms to negotiators last week that softened its position and “broke new ground,” according to an Israeli official familiar with the deliberations. “There is hope,” a Hamas official in Turkey told The Washington Post, but he cautioned that key points require clarification. Like others quoted in this report, the officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive and ongoing diplomacy.

Any final decision rests with the militant group’s leader, Yehiya Sinwar, who is believed to be in hiding in the tunnels beneath Gaza. Hamas negotiators are expected in Egypt on Monday. An Israeli official said the government is preparing to send its own negotiators after the Passover holiday.

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By: Steve Hendrix, Claire Parker and Loveday Morris