US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel to advance efforts to reach a Gaza ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
The top US diplomat is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday (August 19), Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
“Blinken is also expected to visit Egypt on Tuesday as part of his current tour,” the newspaper said, as reported by Anadolu, Monday (19/8).
Ceasefire talks in the Qatari capital Doha ended Friday with a proposal to narrow the gap between Israel and Hamas that is consistent with principles set out by US President Joe Biden on May 31.
Biden said in May that Israel was proposing a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a ceasefire, a hostage-prisoner exchange and reconstruction of Gaza.
For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach a deal between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and a ceasefire, as well as allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Read also: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Pushes for Israel-Hamas Ceasefire
But mediation efforts stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands to end the war.
Ignoring UN Security Council resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has continued its brutal attacks on Gaza since the Hamas offensive on October 7, 2023.
Israeli attacks have since killed nearly 40,100 people, mostly women and children, and injured more than 92,600, according to local health authorities.
More than 10 months since Israel’s offensive, much of Gaza remains in ruins amid a crippling blockade on food, clean water and medicine.
Israel was accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was attacked on May 6. (I-2)
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