The United States is determined that Israel and Hamas reach a ceasefire agreement "now" coupled with the release of hostages, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced during a visit to Israel, AFP reported.
"Even in these difficult times, we are determined to reach a ceasefire that brings the hostages home, and to do it now. And the only reason that will not happen is because of Hamas," Blinken said in Tel Aviv, where he met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
The mediators - Egypt, Qatar, and the United States - were still expecting Hamas to respond to the latest draft of a cease-fire proposal that includes a halt to the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip and the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of hostages kidnapped by the Palestinian movement on October 7 during its unprecedented assault on southern Israel.
Blinken has already called on Hamas to accept this "extremely generous" Israeli offer "without further delay."
Hamas is demanding a "permanent" ceasefire before any agreement can be reached on the release of the hostages - something Israel has always refused to do so far, continuing to stress its determination to carry out a ground offensive in Rafah, a town in the southern Gaza Strip considered Hamas's last local stronghold and where 1.5 million Palestinians, most of them displaced by the war, are currently huddled.
During his visit to Israel, Blinken is expected to pressure the Israeli government to allow more aid into Gaza, where the UN has warned of an impending famine due to food shortages.
The U.S. secretary of state is due to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and visit Ashdod, an Israeli port near Gaza that recently reopened to allow aid deliveries.
"We must also be concerned about the people who are suffering, caught in the crossfire," Blinken told Herzog.
The October 7 Gaza assault on Israel left 1,170 people dead, according to Israeli figures. Israel's retaliatory military operation in the Gaza Strip has killed 34,535 people, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas health ministry. / BGNES
