US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Wednesday to push for a vital truce agreement as the conflict in Gaza entered its fifth month. Blinken, currently on a Middle East crisis tour, is scheduled to meet with Israel’s leaders following visits to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar.
Qatar, which played a role in mediating a previous temporary ceasefire, reported that Hamas had provided a response to a newly proposed deal to halt the fighting. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, after meeting with Blinken in Doha, stated, “The reply includes some comments, but in general, it is positive.”
Blinken confirmed that Hamas’s response had been “shared” with Israel and indicated discussions would take place on Wednesday. Despite acknowledging there is “a lot of work to be done,” he expressed belief that an agreement is not only possible but essential.
Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, also received the Hamas response, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, which stated that the details are being thoroughly evaluated. Netanyahu, who has yet to directly comment on the response, declared on Tuesday, “We are on the way to total victory and we will not stop.”
Pressure for a ceasefire has intensified as Israeli forces advance towards the town of Rafah on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, where more than half of the besieged territory’s population has sought shelter. UN aid coordination office OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke warned, “To be clear, intensified hostilities in Rafah in this situation could lead to large-scale loss of civilian lives, and we must do everything possible within our power to avoid that.”
