US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has landed in Israel for talks with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu as part of efforts to conclude a ceasefire deal to end the fighting between Israel and Hamas and free Israeli hostages. Talks in Doha are due to resume this week after US President Joe Biden said on Friday that negotiations last week brought the parties “closer than we have ever been” to making a deal. For their part, the Israelis have expressed “cautious optimism”, while a senior Hamas official was less enthusiastic… They say no progress has been made and mediators are “selling illusions”. As that plays out, it’s been a hectic weekend in the region. Israel launched deadly strikes on central Gaza, and there have been tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.