US Pursues Gaza Truce Quest As Israel Presses Onslaught

Washington has for weeks sought a deal to secure the release of remaining hostages among those Hamas kidnapped in its October 7 assault

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DOHA/CAIRO/GAZA: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met the main mediators in Gaza peace talks on Tuesday during a lightning trip to four countries in under 24 hours in hot pursuit of the war's first extended truce.

The top US diplomat began the day in Saudi Arabia before jetting to first to Cairo and then Doha to meet the rulers of Egypt and Qatar, mediators in talks that conveyed a truce offer to Hamas last week.

US officials say they do not know if a ceasefire is within reach during the trip, but it is the first serious attempt since the war began four months ago to halt the fighting for longer than a matter of days.

Israel, which is pressing on with its offensive deep into parts of the Gaza Strip now sheltering hundreds of thousands of people displaced from earlier fighting, said its forces had killed dozens of Palestinian gunmen in the past 24 hours.