In addition to Netanyahu, Blinken will meet Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and President Isaac Herzog on Monday.
In exchange, Israel would withdraw its forces from Gaza and release Palestinian prisoners.
Officials said the U.S. has presented proposals to bridge all the gaps remaining between the Israeli and Hamas positions.
Still possible.” Vice President Kamala Harris, campaigning in Pennsylvania, was asked if Netanyahu is ready to strike a cease-fire deal.
Israel went in to Gaza after the Hamas surprise attacks inside Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
Israel’s Tel Aviv (AP) — The U.S. S. On his ninth diplomatic trip to the Middle East since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will aim to expedite the resolution of the elusive cease-fire accord.
Before what the mediators have described as a final push toward a deal, which is scheduled to take place in Cairo later this week, Blinken arrived in Israel on Sunday. On Monday, he has a meeting with senior Israeli officials; on Tuesday, he will head to Egypt.
The agreement under which Israel would stop most military operations in Gaza and free a number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of hostages held by Hamas was reported to have advanced late last week by the three nations mediating the proposed cease-fire.
According to a high-ranking official accompanying Blinken, the secretary will put pressure on all sides to conclude the cease-fire negotiations as soon as possible in order to alleviate civilian suffering in Gaza and stop the conflict from spreading throughout the region. The official gave a sneak peek at Blinken’s itinerary while speaking under anonymity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated at a Cabinet meeting just prior to Blinken’s arrival in Tel Aviv that there are certain areas in which Israel can be flexible and undefined areas in which it won’t be. “These aren’t exchanges where we just give and give,” he declared. Instead, we are negotiating.
Blinken will meet with President Isaac Herzog and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday in addition to Netanyahu.
On Friday, the U. S. and after two days of negotiations in Doha, fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar announced they were getting close to a deal, with cautious optimism expressed by US and Israeli officials. However, Hamas has expressed opposition to what it described as Israel’s new demands.
The revised plan stipulates a three-phase procedure whereby Hamas would free all hostages taken during its Oct. 7 attack, which set off the bloodiest conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Israel agreed to free the Palestinian prisoners and remove its troops from Gaza in exchange.
Authorities stated that the U.S. S. has put forward suggestions to close all of the gaps that still exist between the positions of Hamas and Israel. Official answers to the U. s. Unless the talks fail, as has happened with several previous attempts to end the 10-month-old war, an outline are anticipated this week and may result in a declaration of a cease-fire.
U. S. With his statement on Friday that “we are closer than we’ve ever been,” President Joe Biden gave the impression that a deal might be imminent. “.
When reporters asked Biden about a cease-fire on Sunday, he responded, “We’re still underway.”. We are not going to give up. Potentially still exists. “.
Asking whether Netanyahu is prepared to reach a cease-fire agreement, Vice President Kamala Harris was in Pennsylvania conducting a campaign.
The Democratic presidential candidate stated, “I will not speak for him, but I will tell you that these conversations are ongoing, we are not giving up, and we are going to continue working very hard on this.”. A cease-fire must be achieved, and the hostages must be freed. “.
The Palestinian health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilian and militant deaths, reports that the number of Palestinian deaths in Gaza has risen above 40,000 since the start of the conflict. This coincides with the renewed push to reach a cease-fire. Following the October surprise attacks inside Israel by Hamas, Israel invaded Gaza. 7, taking roughly 1,200 lives, primarily of civilians.
Since then, there have been ups and downs in the fear of a swift and hazardous spread to other areas of the area. As Iran and its allies threaten retaliation for the deaths of the head of Hamas’ political wing in Iran and senior Hezbollah commanders in Lebanon, those fears are heightened once more.
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This story was written by Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Moon, Pennsylvania, and Ayanna Alexander in Washington.
