Palestine and Israel latest news: Blinken claims progress in effort to boost Gaza truce

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ends four-country visit to Middle East, saying efforts to boost Palestinian-Israel truce show progress

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The morning of Friday 28 May will mark a week since the start of the ceasefire that ended an 11-day war between Israel and the Gaza Strip’s Hamas rulers.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday ended a Middle East mission to shore up the ceasefire.

Mr Blinken won diplomatic support and hundreds of millions of dollars of pledges from Arab allies.

He visited Egypt and Jordan on Wednesday as part of his four-country tour.

In Amman, Jordan's King Abdullah told Mr Blinken that he welcomed the administration's move to reopen the US consulate in Jerusalem.

He travelled to Jordan from Egypt, where he praised Cairo's role in securing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Mr Blinken said Egypt was a “real and effective partner” after meeting President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and his foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry.

He said his government was seeking $75 million from Congress for the Palestinians and promised to rally international support for Gaza, without aiding Hamas.

Follow the latest developments below:

Updated: May 27, 2021 01:06 PM

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