Blinken increases pressure on Hamas to accept Gaza ceasefire deal

“The time has come,” Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said, urging Hamas to accept the terms of a proposed truce. He also made clear that he expected more from Israel.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken sent a dual message to Hamas and Israel on Wednesday, urging Hamas to agree to a ceasefire. proposed shooting while at the same time urging Israeli leaders to postpone a major ground invasion in the densely populated town of Rafah in southern Gaza.

At the last day of a crisis in the Middle East During his trip, his seventh visit to the region since the start of the war in October, Mr. Blinken tried to increase pressure on Hamas.

“We are determined to achieve a ceasefire. "The fire that brings the hostages home and gets them back now, and the only reason that won't happen is because of Hamas," Blinken said at the start of a meeting in Tel Aviv with Isaac Herzog, the president of the organization Israel. “There is a proposal on the table, and as we said: no delays, no excuses”

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The proposed agreement calls for the release of 33 hostages in the initial phase of a ceasefire and would lead to the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

Mr. Blinken's comments, which were made in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, were part of a concerted campaign by the Biden administration to secure a pause in a war that , according to Gaza officials, has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians. The bloodshed has rocked American campuses and seeped into domestic politics.

ImageHostage posters in Tel Aviv. A proposed ceasefire deal calls for the release of 33 hostages held in Gaza and would lead to the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Credit...Amir Levy/Getty Images

Mr. Blinken also made clear that he expected more from Israel.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday evening after a day of meetings with Israeli leaders, including nearly three hours with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. , Mr. Blinken said the Israelis had not convinced him that they could prevent the feared humanitarian catastrophe in the event of a ground invasion of Rafah.

"We "We cannot, I will not support a major military operation in Rafah in the absence of an effective plan to ensure that civilians are not harmed – and no, we have not seen such a plan," Mr. . Blinken to journalists. "There are other ways, and in our view better ways, to deal with the real and ongoing challenge from Hamas, which do not involve or require a major military operation." p>

Mr. Blinken's visit to the Middle East, which began Monday, comes as Israel softens some of its demands in negotiations on a ceasefire and confirms its commitment to establishing itself in Rafah “with or without a deal,” as Mr. Netanyahu said earlier this week.

In his latest proposal, Israel said it would facilitate the return to northern Gaza for Palestinian civilians uprooted by its assault, according to two Israeli officials. . This is a sharp reversal on an issue that has been a sticking point in the negotiations.

For weeks, Israel had been demanding that it be able to impose significant restrictions on Palestinians heading towards Israel. in the north, fearing that Hamas, which sparked the war with its deadly October 7 attack on Israel, could take advantage of a large-scale comeback to strengthen itself.

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