Top US diplomat pushes for Gaza deal in Egypt talks

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday pushed for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist movement amid negotiations in the Qatari capital.

"We continue to push for an agreement in Doha. There is difficult work to get there. But I continue to believe this is possible," he said in Cairo after talks with Arab officials.

The US, Qatar and Egypt have been mediating between Hamas and Israel for weeks. The aim is a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages.

Blinken, who arrived earlier Thursday in Cairo as part of a regional tour, met with foreign ministers of Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, the UAE minister of state for international cooperation and a Palestinian official.

At the meeting, the Arab states "shared their common vision of the necessity of halting the war in Gaza and addressing the dire human situation" there, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.

Blinken said he agreed with the Arab representatives that experts would meet in the coming days to identify the "urgent, practical" steps to increase an inflow of assistance into the Gaza Strip amid stern warnings about the humanitarian situation in the densely populated coastal enclave.

Fears have grown that a potential Israeli military offensive in the Gaza city of Rafah would further exacerbate the situation.

More than 1 million Palestinians have taken refuge in Rafah after fleeing fighting elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.

"We’ve been very clear that a ground operation into Rafah would be a mistake and we cannot support it," Blinken added at a joint press with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

The Egyptian official said there was a consensus that any military action in Rafah must be averted.

"It is necessary for Israel not to launch any military operations in this packed area," Shoukry said.

Earlier in the day, Blinken met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi who warned of "grave repercussions" of any Israeli military action in Rafah, the Egyptian presidency said.

The US Department of State said Blinken and al-Sissi discussed negotiations to secure an immediate ceasefire for at least six weeks and the release of all hostages held by Hamas.

"The Secretary reiterated the United States’ rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to work with Egypt to advance peace and regional stability," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Blinken’s current trip is his sixth to the Middle East since the eruption of the war between Israel and Hamas in October last year.

He travelled to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and is expected in Israel on Friday.