Visiting Israel, Blinken is stepping up U.S. diplomatic pressure for a ceasefire despite continuing divisions.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who pushed for a ceasefire in Gaza during his visit to Israel, described the ongoing negotiations as “perhaps the last” chance to secure the release of the captives and achieve a ceasefire.
In Tel Aviv on Monday, before meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, the top U.S. diplomat said he was also working to reduce other regional tensions fueled by the war in Gaza.
Blinken is stepping up U.S. diplomatic pressure to try to reach a deal to end the 10-month conflict after the United States laid out proposals last week in an attempt to bridge gaps between the warring sides.
“This is a defining moment, probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity for the hostages to come home, for a ceasefire to be achieved and for everyone to be put on a better path to lasting peace and security,” Blinken said on his ninth trip to the region since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October.
“I’m here as part of an intensive diplomatic effort at President Biden’s direction to try to get this deal done and ultimately achieved… It’s time for everyone to get to yes and not look for excuses to say no,” Blinken added.
“It's time to do it. It's also time to make sure that no one takes steps that could derail this process,” he added.
The United States and other Western leaders have called on Iran and its allies to refrain from preemptive strikes against Israel in retaliation for the recent killings of senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah.
Global concern that Israel's war could escalate into a full-blown regional conflict has intensified following the assassinations last month of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Fuad Shukr, a senior commander in Lebanon's Hezbollah group, in Beirut.
“We are working to ensure that there is no escalation, that there are no provocations, that there are no actions that in any way could take us away from achieving this agreement or, for that matter, escalate the conflict to other places and with greater intensity,” Blinken said.
The diplomat is scheduled to meet later with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Herzog, who plays a largely ceremonial role, said the Israelis wanted to see the return “as soon as possible” of captives held in Gaza since Hamas seized them during its Oct. 7 attack. Israel's war began after Hamas' surprise attack.
“There is no greater humanitarian objective and no greater humanitarian cause than getting our hostages back,” Herzog told Blinken.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have been acting as mediators in a series of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
The latest round of talks concluded on Friday in Qatar without reaching any agreement. They are expected to resume again in Cairo, Egypt, this week.
Hamas has insisted that the ceasefire end the war permanently, while Israel has said any deal should not limit it from continuing the war despite repeated US statements in favour of the deal ending the conflict.
Meanwhile, deadly Israeli attacks continue in Gaza, with the death toll from Israeli bombing now exceeding 40,000, according to Palestinian health authorities.
