Blinken heads to Israel as ceasefire talks gain momentum 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Sunday as Washington intensifies its diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, aiming to end the 10-month conflict between Israel and Hamas.

This marks Blinken's tenth visit to the region since the war began in October of the previous year. His visit comes shortly after the United States, along with mediators Qatar and Egypt, introduced bridging proposals intended to close the remaining gaps between the conflicting parties.

While U.S. officials have expressed fresh optimism about finalizing the deal, they also caution that challenges remain. "What we've done is taken the gaps that remain and have bridged those in a way that we think basically is a deal that is now ready to close and implement and move forward," a senior Biden administration official said on Friday.

* Ynet contributed to this report.