Blinken calls on Hamas to accept Gaza ceasefire plan after UN Security Council strongly endorses it

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the UN Security Council vote in favor of a US-backed proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages showed “as clearly as possible” that the world supported the plan, again calling on Hamas to accept it.

“Everybody's vote is valid except one, and that's Hamas' vote,” Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv after meeting with Israeli officials. He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to the proposal during their meeting Monday evening.

Hamas welcomed Biden's initial announcement of the plan as well as the UN resolution endorsing it, but has yet to submit its official response. Blinken said Hamas' response to the U.N. vote was a “sign of hope” but that mediators were still waiting to hear from the group's leaders in Gaza.

” That is what matters. And that's what we don't have yet. And that's why I say we wait to see it. Everyone said yes, except Hamas,” he said.

In another development, the UN human rights office said Israeli forces and Palestinian activists may have committed war crimes during the deadly Israeli raid which saved four hostages this weekend. At least 274 Palestinians were killed during the operationaccording to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Blinken’s latest visit to the region – his eighth since Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 sparked war – aims to rally support for the ceasefire proposal, boost the entry of humanitarian aid and advance post-war plans for the governance of Gaza.

He met privately with the families of the hostages as well as protesters outside a hotel calling for a ceasefire agreement, then traveled to Jordan. Blinken was also scheduled to visit Qatar, which along with Egypt has served as a key mediator with Hamas. Blinken was in Cairo earlier Monday.

The proposal, announced by US President Joe Biden last month, calls for a three-phase plan in which Hamas would release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The group still holds around 120 hostages, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Biden presented it as an Israeli proposal, but Netanyahu publicly disputed key aspects of it, saying Israel would not end the war without destroying Hamas and securing the return of all hostages.

Hamas supports the broad outlines of the deal but has demanded guarantees that it will be implemented. The activist group adopted a similar proposal last month that was rejected by Israel.

“Efforts continue to study and clarify certain issues to ensure implementation by the Israeli side,” Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha said Tuesday. Israel “has not given clear approval or commitment to implementation that would lead to an end to aggression,” he said.

On Monday, the UN Security Council voted overwhelmingly in favor of the proposal, with 14 of the 15 members voting in favor and Russia abstaining. The resolution calls on Israel and Hamas “to fully implement its terms, without delay and without conditions.”

The proposal raised hopes of ending an eight-month war that has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and driven about 80 percent of the 2.3 million Palestinians from their homes. residents. Israeli restrictions and ongoing fighting have hampered efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the isolated coastal enclave, fueling widespread hunger.

Later Tuesday, Blinken attended a Gaza aid conference in Jordan, where he announced more than $400 million in additional aid for Palestinians in Gaza and the broader region, bringing aid U.S. total to more than $674 million over the past eight months.

The war began when Hamas and other militants stormed into Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages. More than 100 hostages were freed last year during a week-long ceasefire in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Biden's May 31 announcement of the new proposal said it would begin with an initial six-week ceasefire and the release of some hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces would withdraw from populated areas and Palestinian civilians would be allowed to return home.

The first phase also requires the safe distribution of humanitarian aid “on a large scale throughout the Gaza Strip,” which Biden said would lead to 600 aid trucks entering Gaza each day.

In the second phase, the resolution stipulates that with the agreement of Israel and Hamas, “a permanent end to hostilities, in exchange for the release of all other hostages still in Gaza, and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza” will take place.

The third phase would launch “a major multi-year plan for the reconstruction of Gaza and the return to their families of the remains of all deceased hostages still in Gaza.”

Netanyahu's mixed signals seem reflect his political dilemma. His far-right allies rejected the proposal and threatened to overthrow his government if he ended the war without destroying Hamas. A lasting ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza would likely allow Hamas to maintain control of the territory and rebuild its military capabilities.

But Netanyahu is also under increasing pressure to accept a deal to bring back the hostages. Thousands of Israelis, including the families of the hostages, demonstrated in support of the US-backed plan.

The transition from the first to the second phase appears to be a point of friction. Hamas wants assurances that Israel will not resume war, and Israel wants to ensure that protracted negotiations on the second phase do not indefinitely extend the ceasefire while leaving hostages in captivity.

Blinken said the proposal would result in an immediate ceasefire and commit the parties to negotiating a lasting one. “The ceasefire that would take place immediately would remain in effect, which is clearly beneficial for everyone. And then we’ll have to see,” Blinken said.

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Sewell reported from Beirut.

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