Blinken returns to Middle East in push for hostage deal and postwar Gaza plan

US secretary of state Antony Blinken is welcomed at King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

US secretary of state Antony Blinken met Saudi Arabia’s crown prince on Monday at the start of his fifth visit to the Middle East since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, hoping to press ahead with a potential ceasefire deal and postwar planning while tamping down regional tensions.

But on all three fronts he faces major challenges – Hamas and Israel are publicly at odds over key elements of a potential truce. Israel has dismissed US calls for a path to a Palestinian state, and Iran’s militant allies in the region have shown little sign of being deterred by U.S. strikes.