Blinken returns to Middle East as Israel-Hamas ceasefire proposal on hold after hostage rescue

CAIRO – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns to the Middle East this week as a proposed ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas hangs in the balance following the dramatic rescue of four Israeli hostages held in Gaza during of a major military raid and unrest at Prime Minister Benjamin's house. Netanyahu's government.

Without a firm response from Hamas to the proposal received 10 days ago, Blinken will begin his eighth diplomatic mission to the region on Monday since the start of the conflict in October. He will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo before traveling to Israel, Jordan and Qatar.

While President Joe Biden, Blinken and other U.S. officials praised the hostage rescue, the operation resulted in the deaths of large numbers of Palestinian civilians, which could complicate ceasefire efforts in emboldening Israel and strengthening Hamas' resolve to continue fighting. the war he started with his October 7 attacks in Israel.

“It's difficult to say how Hamas will handle this particular operation and what they will do to determine whether they will say yes or no,” Biden national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday. “We have not received a formal response from Hamas at this time.”

In his talks with Sissi and Qatari leaders, whose countries are the main mediators with Hamas in ceasefire negotiations, Blinken will stress the importance of persuading militants to accept the three-phase proposal on the table. The plan calls for the release of more hostages and a temporary pause in hostilities that could lead to the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

“We hope that with enough chorus, the international community speaking with one voice, Hamas will come to the right answer,” Sullivan told ABC's “This Week.”

But Hamas may not be the only obstacle.

Although the agreement has been described as an Israeli initiative and thousands of Israelis have expressed support for the agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed skepticism, saying that what has been presented publicly is not not accurate and rejecting calls for Israel to cease all fighting until Hamas is eradicated.

Netanyahu's far-right allies have threatened to bring down his government if he implements the plan, and Benny Gantz, a popular centrist, resigned from the three-member war cabinet on Sunday after saying he would would do if the Prime Minister did not formulate a new plan. for post-war Gaza. The day after the hostage rescue, Netanyahu urged him not to resign.

Blinken has met with Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Gantz and Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on almost all of his previous trips to Israel. Officials said Gantz's resignation would not necessarily affect Blinken's schedule.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Friday that Blinken would use the trip to “discuss how the ceasefire proposal would benefit both Israelis and Palestinians.”

Miller said the agreement would not only ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but also pave the way for a reduction in tensions along the Israeli-Lebanese border and create conditions for Israel's broader integration with its neighbors. Arabs, thus strengthening Israel's long-term security.

Despite Blinken's visits to the region about once a month since the war began, the conflict has continued with more than 36,700 Palestinians killed, according to Gaza's health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its counts.

Meanwhile, the war has severely hampered the delivery of food, medicine and other supplies to Palestinians, who face widespread famine. UN agencies say more than a million people in Gaza could experience the highest level of famine by mid-July.

In Jordan, Blinken will attend an emergency international conference on improving the flow of aid to Gaza.