[Source: BBC]
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel in his latest effort to push for a ceasefire and hostage-release deal in Gaza.
His ninth trip to the region since the war began in October comes days after the US presented a modified proposal aimed at bridging long-standing gaps between the two sides.
The US and Israel have expressed optimism about a deal since talks resumed in Doha last week, but Hamas says suggestions of progress are an “illusion”.
Differences are said to include whether Israeli troops will be required to withdraw fully from the Gaza Strip, as Hamas insists.
A Hamas source has told Saudi media that the proposals include the IDF maintaining a reduced presence along the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.
