Blinken: Surprising escalations threaten to derail talks on ceasefire in Gaza

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed frustration Wednesday at the surprise escalation that threatens to derail efforts to negotiate a cease-fire in Gaza, noting that the United States is investigating a deadly attack that detonated pagers used by Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Blinken spoke to reporters in Cairo, where he had traveled for talks on the ceasefire negotiations and U.S.-Egyptian relations. While Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the pager attack, a U.S. official said Israel informed the United States after the explosions.

The United States, Egypt and other international partners are working on a deal between Israel and Hamas to end the nearly year-long war in Gaza and release hostages held by the militant group. The United States says such a deal is the best chance to calm regional tensions as Israeli leaders threaten increased military action against Iran-backed Hezbollah militias in Lebanon and the Pager attack risks further escalation.

“Time and time again,” when the United States and other mediators believe they are making progress on a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, “we experience an event that … threatens to slow down, to stop, to derail that process,” Blinken said in response to a question about the previous day's explosions in Lebanon.

On Tuesday, personal pagers used by Hezbollah exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon, killing at least twelve people, including two children.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attend a joint news conference at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Evelyn Hockstein

Blinken reiterated that the U.S. was still gathering information on the circumstances of the pager attack and declined to comment further.

Among other unexpected events threatening a ceasefire agreement, Blinken cited the discovery this month of the bodies of six hostages Israel said were recently killed by Hamas. They were among those still being held in Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel that sparked the war.

By the time news of her death came, negotiators had already made progress on the timing and other details of an exchange that would have seen the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli custody, the top U.S. diplomat said.

Blinken, who met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, said the most important thing in the difficult ceasefire negotiations was that both sides showed they actually wanted an agreement.

“The most important thing at this moment is to see a demonstration of political will,” Blinken said.

He embarked on his 10th trip to the Middle East since the Gaza war began, without the Biden administration's optimistic predictions of a breakthrough in negotiations. The United States, Egypt and other allies say a deal is essential to stop escalating attacks by Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria.

Israeli politicians warned this week of a possible military offensive in Lebanon to end the now daily exchange of rockets and missiles between Hezbollah and Israel across the southern Lebanese border.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty said on Wednesday that the region was on the brink of a wider war and was critical of Tuesday's targeted explosions in Lebanon.

“Any escalation, including yesterday's events, undoubtedly hinders the achievement of a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages and prisoners,” he said. “The events certainly not only hamper the current talks but also pose the risk of a full-scale war.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is accused of slowing down talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip because an agreement could mean the collapse of his hard-line coalition, whose members oppose any agreement with the Palestinians.

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Ahmed Hatem in Cairo contributed to this report.

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