Blinken warns Israel and Hamas of last chance to end Gaza war By Reuters

By Humeyra Pamuk and Nidal al-Mughrabi

JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Monday that the latest push to freeze the Gaza deal and release hostages may be the best and possibly last chance, urging Israel and Hamas to strike a surprise deal.

However, as the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas announced the resumption of suicide bombing inside Israel after many years, and as Israeli planes continued to attack Gaza, there were no signs of reconciliation.

Hamas and another terrorist group, Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility for an explosion near a synagogue in Tel Aviv on Sunday that killed one bomber and wounded another. Suicide bombings will “return to the fore” while the war in Gaza continues, a Hamas statement said.

Talks in Qatar last week stalled without success, but talks will resume this week based on the US “bridging proposal”.

Blinken met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday morning.

“This is a decisive moment, maybe the best, maybe the last chance to bring the hostages home, to get a ceasefire and put everyone on a better path to peace and security,” Blinken told reporters before meeting with Herzog.

Netanyahu's office said the prime minister “reaffirmed Israel's commitment to the recent US proposal regarding the release of our hostages – taking into account Israel's security needs”.

Months of ongoing negotiations revolve around similar issues, with Israel saying the war can only end with the destruction of Hamas as a military and political force and Hamas saying it will only accept a temporary, not temporary, ceasefire.

There are disagreements about the continued Israeli military presence inside Gaza, especially along the Egyptian border, about the free movement of Palestinians within the territory, and the identity and number of prisoners to be released in exchange.

Despite US expressions of optimism, both Israel and Hamas have indicated that a deal will be difficult.

Hamas accused Netanyahu on Sunday of “thwarting the mediators' efforts” and Turkey said Hamas delegates told it that US officials were “painting an overly optimistic picture”.

Netanyahu told the Israeli cabinet on Sunday that “we are negotiating and not a situation where we just give and give”, his office said.

However, the US official, asked if the comments of Hamas are tantamount to rejecting the agreement, saying that Washington believes that the proposal to close the bridge that it explained last time has faced various problems and will fix the difficult aspects of the operation.

Egyptian security sources said that other talks to stop the violence in Cairo this week depend on an agreement on the security of the area called the Philadelphia Corridor between Egypt and Gaza. The US has proposed an international presence in the region, a proposal that would be acceptable if limited to six months, the sources said.

REGION EDGE

The ongoing war in Gaza began on October 7 last year when Hamas gunmen stormed Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people and abducting about 250 people according to Israeli figures.

Israel's military campaign has since devastated Gaza, driving nearly all of its 2.3 million people from their homes, causing famine and disease and killing at least 40,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Blinken's visit comes as US President Joe Biden faces mounting pressure over his stance on the conflict, and his Democratic Party held its national convention on Monday amid concerns about Muslim and Arab-American votes in emerging states.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri dismissed the possibility of Blinken pressuring Netanyahu to accept the deal. “Blinken pretends to be a minister in Netanyahu's government,” Zuhri told Reuters.

The families of the Israeli hostages, who have been protesting in support of the deal, spoke again on Monday. “You can sacrifice my daughter and a bunch of helpless hostages,” Ayelet Levy-Shachar told Kan Radio. His daughter Nahama, 20, was kidnapped from a military camp.

Inside Gaza, Palestinians said they had little hope that Blinken's visit would lead to a ceasefire.

“They lied to destroy us more. Kill us and kill our children, starve us and make us homeless. Blinken is of no use, his visit will harm the Palestinian people,” said Hanan Abu Hamid, who was evicted from his home. in Rafah.

The conflict has put the entire Middle East region on edge, set off months of border clashes between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, and threatened a major escalation by major powers.

Blinken warned against any provocation. “It is also time to make sure that no one takes steps that could disrupt this process.”

Israel's military said there were several strikes by Hezbollah warplanes in the north of the country near the border with Lebanon on Monday. Blinken will meet with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after meeting with Netanyahu.

In the latest fighting in Gaza, Israeli forces advanced north of Khan Younis on Monday and reached the coastal road, blocking access between the city and northern areas, residents said. They said they heard a loud scuffle.