Hamas must be pressured to agree to a hostage deal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday.
“My message to governments throughout the region, to people throughout the region is: If you want a ceasefire, press Hamas to say yes,” he told reporters in Egypt ahead of his arrival in Israel later in the day.Blinken’s visit, his eighth to the region since the Gaza war began on October 7, comes as efforts to finalize the three-phase hostage deal first unveiled by US President Joe Biden on May 31 remain at a standstill.Blinken has been blunt that the onus for finalizing the deal rests with Hamas, stressing that Israel already backs it.“Since the president put the proposal forward, countries throughout the region and around the world, as well as international organizations, have all endorsed it,” he said after meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Blinken made his comments as Israel and Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza continued to issue public comments highlighting the central gap between the two sides – a permanent or a temporary ceasefire.Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Monday said they were sticking to their conditions for accepting any proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. These include an end to the war with Israel and a full Israeli withdrawal.Blinken’s Gaza ceasefire comments were “biased to Israel,” a senior Hamas official told Reuters.Israel has publicly refused to agree to end the war until Hamas is destroyed and no longer able to operate militarily in the enclave or govern it.It is understood that as part of the agreement, there would be a temporary halt to the war for six weeks. During phase one of the deal, hostages would be released for humanitarian reasons, including women, the ill, and the infirmed.Starting on day 16, discussions would begin on the issue of a permanent or temporary ceasefire, with an eye to resolving the issue before the deal enters stage two.Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have said the deal is a de facto agreement to end the war while leaving Hamas in power.Channel 12 published details of the deal, alleging that Israel would agree to stop the war before all the hostages were released as part of the transition from phase one to phase two. The remaining live hostages are expected to be returned in the second phase.Netanyahu refuted the report, saying it was partial and misleading.“It’s slanderous and a lie to contend that Israel agreed to end the war without achieving its objectives,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.“Israel will not stop the war until all of its conditions are met, that is, fighting until Hamas is eliminated, the return of all our abductees, and a promise that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel,” the statement said.Biden’s announcement of the plan initially raised hope that an agreement was in the offing, but close to two weeks later, skepticism is high that a deal can be reached to free the remaining 120 captives.Should a large hostage deal fail to come to fruition, the US was considering a small side agreement with Hamas to free eight of the captives who hold dual Israeli-US citizenship, three of whom are already believed to be deceased, NBC reported Monday.Blinken appeared to downplay that possibly on Monday. He stressed in response to a direct question about the NBC report that the three-phase agreement was the best way to free all the hostages.“My No. 1 priority as secretary of state is to ensure the well-being of Americans who are in harm’s way anywhere in the world, including those who are being unjustly detained or being held hostage,” he said.“The best way, the most effective way to get everyone home, including the American hostages, is through this proposal, is through the ceasefire deal that’s on the table right now,” Blinken said. “That’s what we’re focused on. That’s what we’re determined to have – to see achieved.”Should a hostage deal be completed, there must be plans in place for what happens to Gaza the day after, he said.According to the State Department, Blinken raised the issue in his meeting with Netanyahu.He also stressed the importance of preventing the conflict from spreading, the State Department said, adding: “He reiterated that the [ceasefire] proposal on the table would unlock the possibility of calm along Israel’s northern border and further integration with countries in the region.”Blinken is expected to travel to Jordan from Israel and participate in a conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza, which will also be attended by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Israel has not been invited to that meeting.After meeting with Netanyahu, Blinken also spoke with Foreign Minister Israel Katz and former minister-without-portfolio Benny Gantz, who withdrew from the emergency government on Sunday night. He is expected to meet with President Issac Herzog and the families of the eight hostages before leaving Israel on Tuesday.Reuters contributed to this report.