Blinken heads to Middle East with hopes receding for a quick diplomatic breakthrough following Sinwar’s death

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken departed Monday for Israel and other unspecified countries in the Middle East as the United States seeks to move forward on efforts to resolve the conflict in the wake of the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken departed Monday for Israel and other unspecified countries in the Middle East as the United States seeks to move forward on efforts to resolve the conflict in the wake of the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. American officials, led by President Joe Biden, remain staunchly hopeful diplomacy can eventually prevail — there is little alternative, they say — and have sought in their conversations with allies in the region to create momentum behind a new ceasefire push resulting in the release of hostages, even one with smaller ambitions than the three-phase proposal once on the table. Yet days after Sinwar was killed by Israeli troops in southern Gaza, the fundamentals of the deadlocked talks remain unchanged. There appears to be little clarity on who will take over the militant group, making it difficult to ascertain the probability of striking a new deal. Hamas has shown no inclination to change its stance on hostage and ceasefire negotiations. “Their internal dynamics will take some time,” a regional diplomatic official told CNN. What does appear clear, the official said, is that Hamas isn’t budging on the ceasefire and hostage talks and will only consider going back to the three-phase deal that was under discussion for many months before Sinwar’s death. US officials expect to learn more about who might be taking the reins for Sinwar over the course of the next week after Blinken’s engagements in the region.