US increases pressure on Hamas to accept new ceasefire
VOV’s correspondent in Egypt -
(VOVWORLD) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted a proposal by Washington to resolve disagreements blocking a ceasefire deal in Gaza and urged Hamas to do the same.
 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets Israeli President Issac Herzog in Tel Aviv, Israel, August 19, 2024. (Photo: AP) |
Blinken, speaking to reporters after a day of meetings with Israeli officials in Jerusalem, said the next step is for Hamas to say yes.
After meeting with Israeli President Issac Herzog, Blinken said the current round of negotiations might be the last chance to reach a ceasefire agreement and end the Gaza conflict that has lasted more than 10 months.
An Israeli official said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains determined to achieve his goal of destroying Hamas because ending the conflict without destroying Hamas would send a message of weakness to the entire region.
Blinken went to Cairo on Tuesday to promote to Egyptian officials and other parties a ceasefire in accordance with the proposal made by the US last week. This is his ninth trip to the Middle East since the conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out last October.
As of Tuesday morning, Hamas hadn’t made any official response to the latest statements from the US Secretary of State and Israeli officials.
According to analysts, it’s likely Hamas will reject the US proposal and will not send any representatives to renew the negotiations co-sponsored by the US, Egypt, and Qatar.
VOV’s correspondent in Egypt