By Humeyra Pamuk and Nidal al-Mughrabi
JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Monday that the most recent push for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage launch deal was in all probability the perfect and probably final alternative, urging Israel and Hamas in the direction of an elusive settlement.
Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has forged doubt on the probabilities of reaching a deal since talks in Qatar final week paused and not using a breakthrough, however the negotiations are to renew this week primarily based on a U.S. “bridging proposal”.
Blinken met Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday earlier than heading into a gathering with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu whereas in Gaza Israeli forces thrust additional into Khan Younis, residents mentioned, within the newest part of their assault.
“This is a decisive moment, probably the best, maybe the last opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security,” Blinken advised reporters earlier than assembly Herzog.
Months of on-off talks have circled the identical points, with Israel saying the battle can solely finish with the destruction of Hamas as a army and political pressure, and Hamas saying it’ll solely settle for a everlasting, and never a brief, ceasefire.
There are disagreements over Israel’s continued army presence inside Gaza, notably alongside the border with Egypt, over the free motion of Palestinians contained in the territory, and over the identification and variety of prisoners to be freed in a swap.
Hamas accused Netanyahu on Sunday of “thwarting the mediators’ efforts”, and Turkey mentioned after assembly Hamas envoys that Gaza’s ruling group had advised it that U.S. officers have been “painting an overly optimistic picture” of the talks.
Netanyahu advised Israel’s cupboard on Sunday that “we are conducting negotiations and not a scenario in which we just give and give,” his workplace mentioned.
The battle in Gaza started on Oct. 7 final yr when Hamas gunmen stormed throughout the border into Israeli communities, killing round 1,200 folks and abducting about 250 hostages based on Israeli tallies.
Israel’s army marketing campaign has since levelled swathes of Gaza, driving almost all of its 2.3 million folks from their properties, giving rise to lethal starvation and illness, and killing a minimum of 40,000 folks based on Palestinian well being authorities.
The primary U.N. company in Gaza, UNRWA, mentioned on Monday that 207 of its employees had been killed because the battle started. “They were engineers, teachers, medical staff. They were humanitarian workers,” UNRWA mentioned in a press release.
ESCALATION RISK
The battle has put all the Center East area on edge, triggering months of border clashes between Israel and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah motion, and threatening a wider escalation drawing in main powers.
Blinken warned towards any provocations. “It’s also time to make sure that no one takes any steps that could derail this process, and so we’re working to make sure that there is no escalation, that there are no provocations.”
Shortly after Blinken arrived in Israel on Sunday, a bomb exploded close to a synagogue in Tel Aviv, killing the particular person carrying it and injuring a passerby, Israeli police mentioned.
Israel’s army mentioned there had been extra Hezbollah drone strikes on the nation’s north close to the frontier with Lebanon on Monday. Blinken is to satisfy Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant after assembly Netanyahu.
Within the newest Gaza preventing, Israeli army advances north of Khan Younis on Monday reached the coastal street, successfully reducing entry between the town and areas to the north, residents mentioned. They mentioned fierce clashes may very well be heard.
Israel additionally stepped up its bombardment of Gaza Metropolis suburbs in a single day, however there have been no preliminary studies of casualties.
