Blinken Secures Israeli Agreement to Gaza Ceasefire; Pushing for Hamas’s Agreement

WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) – On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken began his ninth visit to the Middle East since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched its brutal cross-border attack into Israel, triggering the ongoing war.

Blinken’s latest trip began with a stop in Israel, where he secured its agreement to the U.S. so-called “bridging proposal” for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. That proposal is a compromise between the responses of Israel and Hamas to the initial U.S. suggestions, as first presented in May. 

Unlike Israel, Hamas has declined to participate in the talks. Thus, Egypt and Qatar are mediating on its behalf. So on Tuesday, Blinken is visiting Egypt and Qatar, in the hope that they can persuade the Hamas leadership to accept the U.S. proposal.

So far, Hamas has rejected it. Yet according to Hamas’s own figures, some 40,000 Palestinians have died in the ten months of war, triggered by its assault on Israel. Thus, one might think Hamas would be keen on securing a halt to the fighting as soon as possible.

But that has not been the case. Indeed, this was a key point which Blinken made, as he spoke to reporters, following his meetings in Israel. In the process, Blinken raised serious questions about Hamas’s leadership and its decision-making.

Blinken’s Meetings in Israel

Blinken met with Israel’s top political and military leadership, including President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, and the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Herzi Halevi .

Blinken’s meeting with Netanyahu was particularly long: nearly three hours. Afterwards he told journalists that he had had “a very constructive meeting” with Netanyahu.

During that meeting “Netanyahu confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal, that he supports it,” Blinken stated.

“It’s now incumbent on Hamas to do the same,” he pointedly continued.

Does Hamas Want to End the Palestinians’ Suffering?

“If {Hamas] genuinely cares about the Palestinian people that it purports to somehow represent, then it will say yes to this agreement and it will work on clear understandings about how to implement it,” Blinken said.

“The single, quickest, best, most effective way to relieve the suffering of the Palestinians that was instigated by Hamas’s attack on October 7th and the war that ensued is to complete this agreement,” he continued.

“So that’s really the question. Is Hamas, is its leadership actually looking out for Palestinian children, women. and men who are suffering at this very moment in Israel?,” Blinken asked.

Presumably, the answer to that question will become clearer later on Tuesday,  as Egypt and Qatar are pressing Hamas to accept the U.S. proposal.

Blinken will travel first to Egypt, where he meets with President Abdul Fattah El-Sisi, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, and the intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel.

Those meetings will occur on the Mediterranean coast, far from the heat of Cairo, at Al Alamein, which the Sisi government has been developing as a major project.

Blinken will then travel on to Qatar, where he will meet with the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.