US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit the Middle East next week to push a plan for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire, AFP reports.

Blinken, who will be paying his eighth visit to the region since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, will visit Israel and key US Arab partners Egypt, Jordan and Qatar from Monday through Wednesday, the State Department said.

Blinken “will emphasise the importance of Hamas accepting the proposal on the table, which is nearly identical to one Hamas endorsed last month”, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

The top US diplomat “will discuss how the ceasefire proposal would benefit both Israelis and Palestinians. He will underscore that it would alleviate suffering in Gaza, enable a massive surge in humanitarian assistance and allow Palestinians to return to their neighbourhoods”, he said.