Cairo | US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, travelling in the Middle East, pressed for a halt to fighting in the Gaza Strip as the United States prepared to introduce a resolution at the United Nations calling for “an immediate and sustained ceasefire”.

The Security Council resolution drafted by the United States contains the strongest language that Washington has supported so far, and was an apparent shift for Israel’s closest ally. In February, the United States vetoed a Security Council resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.