Antony Blinken arrives in Israel for talks on Gaza ceasefire

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel in his latest effort to push for a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza.

His ninth visit to the region since the war began in October comes days after the United States presented a revised proposal aimed at bridging long-standing gaps between the two sides.

The United States and Israel have expressed optimism about reaching a deal since talks resumed in Doha last week, but Hamas says hints of progress are an “illusion.”

The differences are said to include whether Israeli forces will be required to withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip, as Hamas insists.

Mr Blinken is trying to keep up the pressure on the Israeli leader, saying now is the time to abandon any further attempts to extract final concessions and reach an agreement.

On the way here, a senior American official was using phrases that included a critical moment and a turning point.

The Americans hope to be able to resolve the matter within the next week at the earliest.

But the Israeli leadership and Hamas do not share this level of optimism.

Each side accuses the other of stubborn sarcasm and obstructing the achievement of an agreement.

In a statement on Sunday, Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of placing “obstacles” in the way of the agreement and “setting new conditions and demands” with the aim of “prolonging the war.”

She added that she holds him “fully responsible” for thwarting the mediators’ efforts and “obstructing the agreement.”

A Hamas source said earlier: He told Saudi media that the proposals include the IDF maintaining a limited presence along the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land along the southern border of the Gaza Strip with Egypt.

but Israeli sources told The Times of Israel: And that other measures along the border could compensate for the Israeli withdrawal from the area in the first phase of the agreement.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were kidnapped.

Since then, more than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.

Last November, Hamas released 105 hostages in exchange for a week-long ceasefire and the release of about 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Israel says 111 hostages are still being held, including 39 who are presumed dead.

“We are closer than ever” to reaching an agreement, US President Joe Biden said earlier this week.

But the previous optimism expressed during months of on-again, off-again talks has proven unfounded.

Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday that complex negotiations were underway to secure the return of the hostages, but there were certain principles that must be adhered to for the sake of Israel’s security.

“There are things we can be flexible about, and there are things we cannot be flexible about, and we insist on them. We know very well how to differentiate between the two,” he said.

He also accused Hamas of “stubbornness” in negotiations and called for more pressure to be put on the militant group.

“What we received from the mediators is very disappointing. There has been no progress,” a senior Hamas official told the BBC on Saturday.

It’s possible that public statements of defiance are simply a negotiating tactic in the first place – but there’s so much hostility and mistrust here that this week seems very optimistic about a breakthrough.

The American pressure also carries with it the timing of electoral politics in Washington. The countdown to reaching an agreement seems to be ticking faster for the Americans than for both sides in this agreement.

The original agreement outlined by President Biden, based on the Israeli proposal on May 27, was to be implemented in three phases:

• The first includes a “full and comprehensive ceasefire” for six weeks, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas in Gaza, and the exchange of some hostages – including women, the elderly, the sick and the wounded – for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
• The second phase includes the release of all other living hostages and a “permanent end to hostilities.”
• The third plan includes starting a major plan to rebuild Gaza and return the remains of the dead hostages.

Meanwhile, the Hamas-run health authority in Gaza said Israeli air strikes killed at least 21 people, including six children, on Sunday.

The Israeli military said on Sunday it had destroyed rocket launchers used to strike Israel from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, the scene of heavy fighting in recent weeks that has killed 20 Palestinians.