Secretary of State Antony Blinken is back in the Middle East to push for a Gaza cease-fire, despite concerns that Hamas and Israel will seek to scuttle the proposal.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with reporters at Cairo's airport after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi on Monday.
The top U.S. diplomat said Hamas is the only obstacle to securing an agreement despite concerns that both the militant group and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may find ways to scuttle theover the weekend in an operation that also killed at least 270 Palestinians in Gaza. U.S.
But those assurances were refused by Haniyeh, who insisted that Hamas would accept the deal only if Israel provided a written guarantee about a permanent cease-fire. Hamas wants the promise in writing in light of Netanyahu’s public remarksFrustrated by Hamas’s demand, U.S. officials have urged Qatar and Egypt to ramp up pressure on Hamas to accept the current proposal.
Optimists say Israel’s raid to free four hostages showed that the Jewish state can liberate hostages with or without negotiations. They point out that Sinwar can be viewed as a hero for securing a deal that sees the release of hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli prisons, another aspect of the current deal on offer. For U.S. officials feeling bullish about the agreement, if Hamas responds with a proposal with only minor modifications, they believe the Israelis will accept it.
After his visit to Egypt, Blinken will visit Israel, Jordan and Qatar. “This is a critical moment because we see the possibility, we see the prospect of an immediate cease-fire,” Blinken said.tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some U.S. politiciansHow a 92-year-old woman beat the cable company
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