Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Blinken meets Sissi in Cairo to discuss Gaza humanitarian pause, hostage deal
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on February 6, 2024 (Mark Schiefelbein / POOL / AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi as the United States works to advance a humanitarian pause in Gaza that will include a hostage deal mediated by the Egyptians and Qataris.
The top US diplomat departed Riyadh shortly after sunrise for what is set to be a marathon day visiting Egypt and Qatar before flying to Israel to discuss hostage negotiations, postwar Gaza plans and the prospect of Arab countries and Israel normalizing ties.
Blinken’s fifth trip to the region since October comes as the United States presses ahead with strikes against Iran-aligned militias that last month killed three US troops in a military outpost in Jordan.
