US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Hamas is the main obstacle to a ceasefire in Gaza, as the militants prepared to send a delegation to Cairo for talks. Blinken emphasized that the only thing preventing a ceasefire is Hamas, which the US considers a terrorist group. He highlighted the difficulty of negotiating with Hamas, as its leaders are not directly engaged with the US or Israel. Blinken's comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the assault on Rafah, a southern Gaza city, to eliminate Hamas.