US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Jerusalem: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s ninth visit to West Asia since the war in Gaza began has ended, but a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas could not be reached during this period. With Hamas and Israel indicating that challenges remain, Blinken said on Tuesday that it is “very important” to get the agreement done at this time. Blinken said after meetings in allied mediator countries Egypt and Qatar that since Israel has accepted the proposal to bridge differences with Hamas, the focus is now on doing everything possible to “bring Hamas along” and ensure that both sides agree on the main points related to the implementation of the agreement.
The risk of war has increased
Blinken told reporters before leaving Qatar, “Our message is simple, clear and urgent.” He said, “We need to finalize the ceasefire and hostage release agreement, and we have to do it now. It is important to do it at this time.” The recent targeted killing of two top commanders of Hamas and Hezbollah in Iran and Lebanon has further increased the need for an agreement. Israel is said to be behind the killing of both the commanders. On the other hand, Iran and Hezbollah have vowed to avenge the death of both the commanders, raising the possibility of the ongoing tension in West Asia turning into a full-fledged war.
What did Hamas say?
Hamas said on Tuesday that this proposal is contrary to the agreement it had expressed earlier. It accused the US of accepting Israel’s new conditions. There was no immediate reaction from the US on this. Before holding meetings in Egypt, Blinken also met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Amid the meeting between Blinken and Netanyahu, the Israeli army said it had found the bodies of six people held hostage by Hamas. About 110 of the hostages are believed to be still in Gaza, while Israeli officials say about one-third of them have died.
Hamas attacked
Israel was attacked by Hamas terrorists on October 7 last year. Nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in this attack and about 250 people were kidnapped. More than 100 hostages were released during a week-long ceasefire in November. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli retaliatory attacks. Most of Gaza’s more than 2.3 million residents have been displaced and there is a huge humanitarian catastrophe there. (AP)
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