Blinken made an urgent push to swiftly reach a deal at a press conference in Israel following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
After announcing Israel had agreed to a bridging proposal that was offered through high-stakes negotiations in Doha last week, Blinken said it was “now incumbent on Hamas to do the same.”
“The next important step is for Hamas to say yes,” he said, “and then in the coming days for all the expert negotiators to get together to work on clear understandings of implementing the agreement.”
Hamas released statements on pro-Iranian Telegram channels saying Israel has backtracked from previous proposals and that its demands for a withdrawal from Gaza have not been met.
After meeting with Blinken, Netanyahu in a video address applauded “the understanding that the United States has shown for our vital security interests as part of our joint efforts to bring about the release of our hostages.”
The U.S. has tried for weeks to wrap up a cease-fire and hostage release deal that Washington says is as close as ever to being finalized. The next round of talks are slated for this week in Cairo.
But some sticking points remain, including the details of an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza border with Egypt and the movement of armed Palestinians to the north of the strip.
The deal includes three phases, starting with an initial hostage and prisoner exchange and a temporary cease-fire, then a permanent cease-fire for the return of all hostages, and a final phase for the transfer of remains and rebuilding Gaza.
Blinken, who is next headed to Egypt and Qatar, said earlier in the day that it was possibly the “last” chance to reach a deal.
He clarified the U.S. was not giving up but that more hostages could die or tensions might soon escalate, making the comments as Iran threatens to retaliate against Israel for the death of the top Hamas leader in Tehran last month.
“The longer this goes on,” Blinken added, “the more hostages will suffer, possibly perish, and the more other things happen that could make things impossible.”
