Secretary of State Blinken heads to Middle East to help close Gaza cease-fire deal

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is headed to the Middle East on Sunday to try to seal a cease-fire deal for Gaza after months of contentious negotiations between regional leaders.

The U.S. and fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar have said they were closing in on a deal after two days of talks in Doha. President Biden on Friday seemed optimistic, saying "We are closer than we've ever been" to an agreement.

Mr. Biden has expressed optimism for a deal before, only for talks to break down.