Tel Aviv—After describing his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog on Monday as “very constructive,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Hamas to agree to a US bridging proposal for a Gaza truce and prisoner swap.
The top US official urged all parties to reach an agreement, saying that this latest round of talks was likely the best and possibly the last chance.
Last week’s negotiations in Doha came to a standstill due to Hamas’ boycott of the discussions and insistence that Israel should adhere to the terms that had already been set on July 2 rather than negotiating new terms. Based on the latest US proposal to close the gaps, another round of negotiations is anticipated to begin this week.
There aren’t many signs of reconciliation on the ground, with the Israeli military’s unrelenting attacks in the Gaza Strip killing at least 40 more Palestinians, bringing the total number of deaths to at least 40,139, and a Palestinian group declaring the return of bombings within Israel after many years.
“It was confirmed to me in a very positive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today that Israel is in favor of the bridging proposal,” Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv.
“Hamas must now do the same, and the parties must come together and finish the process of reaching clear understandings about how they’ll implement the commitments that they’ve made under this agreement with the assistance of the mediators, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar.”
Even though the US expressed confidence and Netanyahu’s administration described the discussion as constructive, Israel and Hamas have made it clear that any agreement will be challenging to achieve.
Although Hamas was adamant about sticking to the previous accord and rejecting the US-imposed new requirements, it was reported by Turkiye that Hamas envoys had informed them that US officials were “painting an overly optimistic picture.” Hamas also accused Netanyahu of “thwarting the mediators’ efforts.”
Prior to this week’s negotiations in Qatar, Hamas had urged mediators to adopt a framework that US President Joe Biden had unveiled in late May, as opposed to continuing discussions. Following the meeting in Doha, the US presented what the mediators referred to as a “bridging proposal.” On Sunday, Hamas said that the proposal “responds to Netanyahu’s conditions” and included elements that the Palestinian organization would never agree to.
Insisting on “a permanent ceasefire and a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,” Hamas said that Netanyahu intended to maintain Israeli forces in numerous key areas, including the Philadelphi corridor, the Rafah border, and Netzarim junction.
Herzog and Blinken, meanwhile, condemned “the refusal of Hamas to move forward” in their remarks.
The Israeli force has destroyed large areas of Gaza over the last ten months, forcing almost all of its 2.3 million residents from their homes and resulting in an increase in sickness and starvation.
