US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to arrive in Israel on Sunday evening, with the aim of pressuring Tel Aviv in an attempt to advance negotiations on a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in Gaza, according to Hebrew media.

The official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said on Sunday: "Blinken is expected to meet with Israeli officials, headed by (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu."

Blinken's visit will be his ninth to Israel since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023, according to the same source.

The Authority indicated that the US Secretary of State will push towards "reducing differences with Hamas, and reaching an agreement that can be announced early next week."

The Hebrew newspaper Maariv said that the aim of Blinken's visit "is to exert additional pressure in an attempt to push forward talks on the hostage deal and ceasefire, following the summit held in Qatar at the end of the week."

Blinken will also meet in Israel with the families of prisoners who hold American citizenship, according to the same source.

The US Secretary of State will later visit Egypt and Qatar, according to Maariv.

On Saturday, the private Israeli Channel (12) said that there are still major obstacles in the way of reaching a deal.

She pointed out that until now, Israel still insists on being present in the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, and the Netzarim Corridor near Gaza City, which separates northern Gaza from its north.

She added: "Netanyahu insists on the presence of the Israeli army in the Philadelphi corridor, even though the security establishment proposed different solutions in the security talks, and Defense Minister Yoav Galant himself said that this is possible by withdrawing from the corridor for a limited period of 6 weeks."

Regarding the Netzarim axis, Channel (12) said in its report on Saturday that “the Americans sent a clear message to Israel that they will not accept this condition, and this option is not on the table for them.”

On Friday evening, the Israeli negotiating delegation headed by Mossad chief David Barnea returned to Tel Aviv, while a lower-level delegation remained in Doha, according to the same source.

As planned, the Israeli working delegation will leave for Cairo on Sunday for further talks, while the US Secretary of State will arrive in Israel at the beginning of the week.

According to Channel (12), "the Americans hope to hold another summit next weekend to finalize the details."

On Friday evening, mediators in the Gaza ceasefire talks announced that the United States had presented a new proposal to narrow the gaps between Israel and Hamas.

This was stated in a joint Egyptian-Qatari-American statement published by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, at the conclusion of the second and final day of a round of talks hosted by the Qatari capital, Doha.

This comes as Washington, which is spreading the impression that the talks are proceeding in a "positive atmosphere," hopes that reaching an agreement between Hamas and Israel to stop the war and exchange prisoners will help dissuade Iran and Hezbollah from responding to the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, and party leader Fouad Shukr in Beirut the day before.

The mediators presented Hamas with the terms of a framework for a ceasefire agreement on July 2, based on the proposal presented by US President Joe Biden last May, to stop the war on the Gaza Strip and exchange prisoners.

These terms achieve a comprehensive cessation of aggression on Gaza, a complete withdrawal of the occupation from the Strip, breaking the siege, opening the crossings, reconstruction, and achieving a serious prisoner exchange deal. This was met with rejection by Israel, the continuation of the massacres, and the imposition of new conditions related to remaining in the Netzarim Corridor and the Philadelphi Corridor.