U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Israeli leaders Wednesday in a push to reach a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, saying "the time has come" for a deal that would free hostages and bring a pause in nearly seven months of war in Gaza, writes UNN citing AP.
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He said Hamas would bear the blame for any failure to reach an agreement.
Blinken is on his seventh visit to the region since the war began in October, trying to secure an "elusive" agreement between Israel and Hamas that could prevent an Israeli offensive on the southern Gaza town of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering.
"The current round of talks seems serious, but the sides remain far apart on one key issue - whether the war should end under a new deal," the publication writes.
“We are determined to achieve a cease-fire that will bring the hostages home, and to do it now, and the only reason it would not be achieved is because of Hamas,” Blinken told Israeli President Isaac Herzog at a meeting in Tel Aviv.
There is an offer on the table, and as we said, no delays and no excuses. The time has come
Blinken pointed out that the agreement would also allow much-needed food, medicine and water to reach Gaza, where the war has triggered a humanitarian crisis and displaced much of the territory's population.
After meeting with Duke, and at a hotel with families of Americans held by Hamas, Blinken briefly greeted several dozen demonstrators calling for the immediate release of the hostages outside.
Shouting "SOS, USA, only you can save the day" and "We trust Blinken, bring them home to us," the protesters called on him to state his position to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Blinken will meet with Netanyahu and his military cabinet later Wednesday.
Blinken told the families that releasing their loved ones was "at the heart of everything we're trying to do.
His comments came on the last leg of his visit to the region, with previous stops in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, where he urged Hamas to accept the latest offer, calling it "extremely generous" on Israel's part.
He will also visit an Israeli port that receives aid for Gaza, according to the State Department.
Netanyahu has repeatedly promised an offensive in Rafah, which he says is the last Hamas stronghold in the Strip, and on Tuesday he pledged to do so "with or without a ceasefire agreement.
The current agreement being negotiated - brokered by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar - calls for the release of dozens of hostages in exchange for a six-week suspension of hostilities as part of the initial phase, according to an Egyptian official and an Israeli official for the media. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel would also be released, including some serving long sentences.
But the stumbling block, as indicated, remains what happens next. Hamas has demanded assurances that the final release of all hostages will end the nearly seven-month war.
Israel reportedly offered only a long pause, promising to resume the offensive as soon as the first phase of the agreement was finalized. The issue has repeatedly hampered mediators' efforts during the months of negotiations, the publication notes.
While the talks appeared to be gaining momentum, an Egyptian official said Wednesday that Hamas had asked Egyptian and Qatari mediators for clarity on the terms of the latest cease-fire proposal under discussion, a demand that could delay progress, the newspaper said.
The official said Hamas wants clear conditions for the unconditional return of displaced people to northern Gaza and to ensure that the second phase of the agreement includes discussion of a gradual and complete withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the entire Gaza Strip.
The official said the current deal does not fully explain who will be allowed to return to the north and how that will be decided.
Supplement
The war between Israel and Hamas was sparked by an unprecedented Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel in which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped about 250 hostages. Israel says the militants are still holding about 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 people, the publication said.
More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in the Gaza Strip, according to local health officials. The war has forced about 80 percent of Gaza's population of 2.3 million people to flee their homes, caused massive destruction in several cities and towns, and brought northern Gaza to the brink of famine, the publication noted.