Tel Aviv, Israel

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is headed back to the Middle East to push a plan for a ceasefire. This will be Blinken's eighth visit to the region since the war erupted and will include a visit to Israel. 

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It comes as Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz and the Israeli general in charge of the Gaza Strip area on Sunday (June 9) announced their resignations.

Blinken in West Asia

As per an AFP report, the US diplomat will start his West Asia visit in Egypt with talks with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. From there, he will go to Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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Blinken's Middle East tour will also include visits to Jordan and Qatar, after which he will join Biden at the summit with the Group of Seven in Italy on Wednesday (June 12). 

Also read | Israel drops dramatic footage of rescue of four Hamas hostages in 'complex daytime operation'

This visit follows President Joe Biden's May 31 proposal to end the conflict.

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As per the report, the political dynamics in Israel and the silence from Hamas on Biden's proposal make the prospect of a ceasefire plan unlikely by the day. Hamas is yet to formally respond to the proposal.

Multiple high-level resignations in one day

Further complicating matters, Benny Gantz, a critical former MP stepped down from Netanyahu's war cabinet, saying that the prime minister has failed to finalise a plan for a "real victory", including coming up with post-war plans for Gaza.

The MP had asked for a post-war plan for Gaza approved by Netanyahu last month.

Also read | Benny Gantz quits from Israeli war cabinet, accuses PM Netanyahu of preventing 'true victory'

Gantz, a key centrist, leads in polls as Netanyahu's replacement if new elections are called. His resignation complicates US peace plans as his departure can help further embolden Netanyahu's far-right supporters, who are hostile to compromise.

Why did the Gaza commander resign?

Brig. Gen. Avi Rosenfeld, the head of the Israel Defense Force's Gaza Division, in a letter to his superiors, cited Hamas' October 7 attack and his failure to counter it as reasons for the resignation. He is only the second senior IDF officer to resign over the Hamas attack. Previously, the chief of the Military Intelligence Directorate announced he was quitting in April.

According to the Times of Israel, Rosenfeld said in the letter, "On October 7, I failed in my life’s mission to protect the [Gaza border communities]."

"Everyone has to take responsibility for their part, and I am the one in charge of the 143rd Division (the Gaza Division)," he said.

"As I promised, I will stay until my replacement takes over the role, and I will transfer command over the division in an orderly and responsible manner."

"I intend to continue to take part in the investigations and the learning of lessons, to do everything so that what happened on October 7 does not happen in the future," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)