Hamas leaders could save Palestinian lives by accepting a proposed deal in which they would release 33 hostages in exchange for six weeks, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a meeting with Israeli leaders on Wednesday. ceasefire and the liberation of many Palestinian prisoners.
Blinken’s remarks in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were part of a concerted effort by President Joe Biden and his top aides to urge Hamas leaders to take the first steps to lay the groundwork for a potential long-term ceasefire.
“We are determined to achieve a ceasefire and get the hostages home, and do it now, and the only reason we can’t do that is Hamas,” Blinken said at the start of the meeting in Tel. Zach Herzog. “The proposal is on the table and, as we said, no delays, no excuses. The time is now and the time to bring the hostages home to their families is long past.
Blinken made the same remarks to reporters the night before outside a humanitarian aid warehouse in Zarqa, Jordan. Earlier this week, Mr Biden called the leaders of Qatar and Egypt to urge them to urge Hamas to accept the terms, after Israel agreed to reduce the number of hostages needed to release the first round of hostages from 40 to 33.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the latest proposed deal but vowed on Tuesday that he would launch a major offensive in the city of Rafah “with or without a deal” – a statement that could put Hamas at risk Agree to be more cautious to the terms. Biden administration officials oppose a large-scale ground attack on Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have sought refuge during the war, and want Israeli forces to conduct more precise operations there to kill or capture Hamas leaders.
Israeli officials said they aimed to eliminate four battalions of Hamas militants in Rafah.
In November, Hamas released more than 100 hostages during a seven-day ceasefire, but talks to try to get more hostages out of Gaza have been deadlocked for months. Hamas took about 240 hostages in an attack on October 7 last year, but some died in captivity and at least three were shot dead by Israeli forces in Gaza, Israeli officials said.
Blinken met with Netanyahu for nearly three hours in Jerusalem on Wednesday to discuss hostages and a ceasefire, according to a State Department summary. He also spoke about efforts to increase humanitarian aid in Gaza and the U.S. government’s “clear position” on Rafah, the summary said.
Knesset opposition leader Yair Lapid also spoke with Blinken. Later, Lapid said in a social media post that Netanyahu had “no political excuse” not to reach an agreement to declare a ceasefire and release hostages, adding that “every hour counts.”
After leaving Jerusalem, Mr Blinken visited Kibbutz Nir Oz in the south, entering the burned home of the family of Kedem Siman Tov. Five members of the family, two parents and three young children, all U.S. citizens, were killed in the Oct. 7 attack. Dad’s mother, Carol Siman Tov, also a U.S. citizen, was killed on the same kibbutz.
Blinken then stopped at a checkpoint in Kerem Shalom, the border crossing between Israel and Gaza. Flatbed trucks loaded with food aid bags – onions, rice and cooking oil – await inspection in Gaza.
Israeli officials said a new crossing into northern Gaza near Kibbutz Erez had just opened to allow aid deliveries, and 30 trucks carrying goods from Jordan had passed the Erez border earlier on Wednesday. site. It had been promised weeks ago to open the crossing, but the Israeli military said inspection facilities must be built and roads paved on both sides of the border before rescue trucks could use the crossing.
Mr Blinken made humanitarian aid to Gaza residents a theme of his visit to Israel and Jordan the day before. On Tuesday night, he visited an aid warehouse in Jordan, where trucks were loading food and medical aid in preparation for their journey to Erez for their opening on Wednesday.
“This is real, important progress,” he said, “but more needs to be done.”
Earlier this week, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas rejected an offer to meet with Blinken in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, according to two Palestinian officials and a State Department official. Communicate with the media.
Palestinian leaders have become increasingly frustrated with Washington, especially after the United States blocked the United Nations from recognizing Palestine as a full member state.
