Blinken heads to Israel to revive Gaza ceasefire talks after Sinwar death

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken attends a reception for US President Joe Biden in Bellevue Palace, Berlin, Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Annette Riedl/dpa via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Israel on Tuesday, the first stop of a wider Middle East tour aimed at reviving Gaza ceasefire talks and discussing the enclave's future following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, but any breakthrough ahead of the looming US election looks elusive.

The top US diplomat's latest trip - his eleventh to the region since Palestinian Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7 triggering the Gaza war - comes as the Israeli military has intensified its campaign in the Palestinian enclave as well as in Lebanon against Iran-aligned Hezbollah militia.