Ammon News - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Egypt and Israel on Monday hoping to deliver the ceasefire that President Joe Biden proposed last month, in an all-out push by Washington to secure an end to the Gaza war.

Ahead of his arrival, both sides doubled down on hardline positions that have scuppered all previous attempts to end the fighting, while Israel pressed on with assaults in central and southern Gaza, among the bloodiest of the war.

"We call upon the U.S. administration to put pressure on the occupation to stop the war on Gaza, and the Hamas movement is ready to deal positively with any initiative that secures an end to the war," senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters ahead of Blinken's arrival.

Blinken also will visit Jordan this week.

Reuters