Ceasefire talks ‘may be the last opportunity’ to free hostages in Gaza, says Blinken
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said crunch talks in Israel on Monday are “probably the best, maybe the last opportunity” to secure hostage releases and a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
The visit is his ninth to the region since the start of the conflict and he is meeting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu today.
It comes during a rise in tensions with alleged Israeli attacks continuing over the weekend. Over the weekend a family of 18 died in an airstrike in the town of Zawaida.
Speaking in Tel Aviv before meeting Israeli president Isaac Herzog, Mr Blinken said he was also working to de-escalate other regional tensions fuelled by the war in Gaza.
The US diplomat described the current moment as “decisive” and “probably the best, may be the last opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security”.
He said US president Joe Biden had sent him “to get this agreement to the line and ultimately over the line”.
His visit came days after mediators, including the United States, expressed renewed optimism a deal was near.
But Hamas has voiced deep dissatisfaction with the latest proposal and Israel has said there were areas it was unwilling to compromise.
The war in Gaza was triggered by a Hamas attack inside southern Israel during which around 1,200 people were killed and another 250 were taken hostage according to Israeli totals.
In response, Israel launched an air and ground offensive and a blockade, which health officials in the Hamas-run strip say has killed more than 40,000 people and devastated the besieged enclave.
Mr Blinken’s arrival in Israel comes three days after the US, Qatar and Egypt set out a deal proposal at talks in Doha aimed at bridging the gaps between Israel and Hamas.
After his meetings in Israel, Mr Blinken will travel to Egypt on Tuesday.
He acknowledged that it was a “fraught moment” for Israel, where there are concerns about potential attacks by Iran and Hezbollah.
Mr Blinken said: “We’re working to make sure that there is no escalation, that there are no provocations, that there are no actions that in any way move us away from getting this deal over the line, or for that matter, escalating the conflict to other places and to greater intensity.”
Hamas has accused prime minister Netanyahu of trying to sabotage the deal and claimed the proposals put forward in Doha take account of Israeli demands but not of Hamas’.
As per the deal, Hamas has to release all hostages abducted during its 7 October attack and in exchange, Israel would withdraw its forces from Gaza and release Palestinian prisoners.
