Blinken meets with Egypt’s Sisi, is set to stop in Israel on regional tour

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday visited Egypt, where he met with President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi as part of his regional trip for talks to halt the fighting in Gaza. Blinken is set to visit Israel on Friday, as negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage release deal in Doha, Qatar, appear to falter. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved a delegation of Israeli officials led by David Barnea, head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service, to travel to Qatar on Friday to work on the cease-fire negotiations, Netanyahu’s office said.