U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Sunday to renew efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, despite immediate challenges from the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Just hours after Blinken’s arrival, Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of undermining mediation efforts and prolonging the conflict, putting Israeli hostages in Gaza at further risk.
This marks Blinken’s 10th visit to the region since the conflict erupted in October. On Monday, he is scheduled to meet with top Israeli officials, including Netanyahu. After these discussions, Blinken will continue his diplomatic tour in Egypt.
A senior Biden administration official described the current talks as being at a critical juncture, with the negotiations aiming to finalize a truce and secure the release of hostages held in Gaza. However, despite ongoing mediation efforts by Qatar, the United States, and Egypt, no significant progress has been made, and violence continued in Gaza over the weekend.
On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza resulted in at least 21 deaths, including six children and their mother in the central city of Deir Al-Balah, according to Palestinian health authorities. The Israeli military has maintained that it targets only Hamas militants, who they accuse of using civilian facilities as shields. In response, Israel reported destroying rocket launchers in Khan Younis, a hotspot of recent conflict, and killing 20 Palestinian militants.
The conflict in the West Bank also escalated, with an Israeli man succumbing to injuries from an earlier attack.
Negotiations are set to continue in Cairo this week, following earlier talks in Doha. Blinken hopes to achieve a breakthrough by advancing U.S. proposals aimed at bridging the gap between the conflicting parties. The conflict began on October 7, when Hamas launched a deadly assault on Israel, resulting in around 1,200 Israeli deaths and the taking of approximately 250 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has led to over 40,000 Palestinian deaths, mostly civilians, according to Palestinian health officials, and has left much of Gaza devastated.
The urgency for a ceasefire has grown amid fears of regional escalation, especially after Iran threatened retaliation following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, after a cabinet meeting, reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to its security principles, including maintaining a military presence along the Gaza-Egypt border to prevent weapons smuggling. He also emphasized the need to ensure that Hamas does not retain control of Gaza.
Hamas, meanwhile, has dismissed optimistic U.S. comments as misleading and accused Netanyahu of imposing new conditions that could derail the negotiation process. Key points of contention remain, particularly concerning the presence of Israeli troops in Gaza after the fighting and security checks on people moving within the region.
Despite calls from Hamas for a ceasefire, Israel remains unwilling to agree to anything beyond a temporary pause in the conflict.
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