US calls on Hamas to accept ceasefire deal as Anthony Blinken visits Israel
19 August 2024, 20:46
The US has called on Hamas to accept the recent bridging proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza after it received Israel’s backing.
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Speaking after a meeting with Israel's prime minister, US secretary of state Antony Blinken revealed Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted a proposed ceasefire deal.
However, Mr Blinken added there were still “complex issues” to resolve ahead of any full ceasefire agreement could be found.
"There is a real sense of urgency here, across the region, on the need to get this over the finish line and to do it as soon as possible. The United States is deeply committed to getting this job done," Mr Blinken said.
"[The proposal] is the single best way not only to get the hostages home [and] to ease the suffering of people in Gaza, it is also the best way to make sure that conflict doesn't spread, that we don't see escalation, that we can actually defuse some of the pressure points that we see throughout the region, and then open prospects for trying to build a more enduring peace and security for everyone throughout the Middle East."
Blinken met with Israel's President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv on Monday.
Mediators are set to hold further discussions in Cairo this week.
Speaking on Friday, President Biden suggested a ceasefire agreement, which would likely include the return of all Israeli hostages captured on October 7, could be on the horizon.
But, speaking from the White House, he warned an agreement was "not there yet."
"I don't want to jinx anything... we may have something," Mr Biden told reporters from the White House's Oval Office.
He added: "But we're not there yet."It's much, much closer than it was three days ago. So, keep your fingers crossed."
Since the attack in late 2023, Israel has waged an assault on Gaza, killing over 40,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
