By U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that Israel has accepted a U.S.-backed proposal aimed at bridging differences in Gaza cease-fire negotiations, and called on Hamas to do the same.
Blinken made the announcement following a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. The secretary did not provide details on whether the proposal addressed Hamas’ concerns about Israel’s demand for control over two strategic corridors inside Gaza.
“In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel supports the bridging proposal,” Blinken told reporters. “The next important step is for Hamas to say ‘yes.'”
The announcement comes amid Blinken’s ninth mission to the Middle East since the conflict began last October. Mediators, including the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, have spent months trying to broker an agreement, with talks repeatedly stalling.
Blinken emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “This is a decisive moment, probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a cease-fire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security.”
The ongoing conflict, which began on October 7 when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, has resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people in Israel and more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health authorities. Approximately 250 people were abducted during the initial attack, with about 110 still believed to be in Gaza.
The evolving proposal calls for a three-phase process in which Hamas would release all hostages in exchange for Israel withdrawing its forces from Gaza and releasing Palestinian prisoners. However, Hamas has accused Israel of adding new demands, including maintaining a military presence along the Gaza-Egypt border and along a line bisecting the territory.
Israeli officials maintain these are not new demands but clarifications of a previous proposal. Netanyahu told his Cabinet on Sunday that there are areas where Israel can be flexible and unspecified areas where it won’t be.
Late Sunday, Hamas released a statement accusing Netanyahu of setting obstacles to a deal by demanding new conditions, claiming the latest proposal capitulates to Israel’s demands.
Blinken is scheduled to travel to Egypt on Tuesday for meetings in the Mediterranean city of el-Alamein, where mediators will meet again this week in Cairo to try to cement a cease-fire.
The secretary also met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant later on Monday. During his visit, Blinken warned against actions that could derail the peace process or escalate the conflict to other regions, in a veiled reference to recent targeted killings of militants in Lebanon and Iran attributed to Israel.
As negotiations continue, both sides face pressure to reach an agreement. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened, with widespread devastation and displacement of civilians. Meanwhile, Israel seeks the return of hostages and an end to rocket attacks from Gaza.
The coming days are seen as critical for the prospects of a cease-fire, with formal responses to the U.S. outline expected this week that could lead to a declaration unless talks stall once again.
