Blinken In Israel To Push For Gaza Ceasefire As Hamas, Netanyahu Trade Blame Over Truce
Following Blinken's Israel visit, Hamas said that it holds Netanyahu responsible for 'thwarting the mediators' efforts.
Israel-Gaza War: United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Sunday with an aim to push for a ceasefire in Gaza. Hours after Blinken landed in Tel Aviv, Hamas raised doubts about the mission and accused Israel of undermining his efforts. The Palestinian group said that it holds Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accountable for "thwarting the mediators' efforts".
Hamas also claimed that Netanyahu is causing a delay in agreement, and exposing Israeli hostages in Gaza to the same aggression faced by Palestinians. Netanyahu was "fully responsible for thwarting the efforts of the mediators, obstructing an agreement, and (bears) full responsibility for the lives" of hostages in Gaza, Hamas said in a statement, as quoted by news agency AFP.
Blinken Likely To Meet Netanyahu, Says Official
Antony Blinken, who is on his ninth trip to the Middle East since the beginning of the war, is set to meet senior Israeli leaders, including Netanyahu, on Monday, a senior State Department official said, according to media reports.
The US Secretary of State will continue onto Egypt following his Israel visit. Speaking to reporters, a senior official from the Joe Biden administration said that the talks to strike a deal for a truce and return of hostages held in Gaza were now at an "inflection point." "We think this is a critical time," the official said, as quoted by Reuters.
On Sunday, the Israeli PM reiterated that Hamas must be pressured. Speaking during a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said, "Hamas, up to this moment, remains obstinate. It did not even send a representative to the talks in Doha. Therefore, the pressure should be directed at Hamas and Yahya Sinwar, not at the Israeli government".
Meanwhile, the violence continued unabated in Gaza on Sunday. Israeli strikes claimed the lives of at least 21 people in Gaza, Palestinian health authorities said, Reuters reported.
The deceased included six children and their mother in an airstrike on a house in the central city of Deir Al-Balah. The youngest was aged 18 months, their grandfather Mohammed Khattab told Reuters.
"What was their crime? ... Did they kill a Jew? Did they shoot at the Jews? Did they launch rockets at the Jews? ... What did they do to deserve this?" asked Khattab.
However, there was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel has denied targeting civilians as it kills Hamas militants. It has accused the group of operating from civilian facilities, including schools and hospitals. Hamas, however, has denied this claim.
The Israeli military claimed that it has destroyed rocket launchers that were used to target Israel from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. In the occupied West Bank, which has witnessed an escalation, an Israeli man died from wounds sustained in an attack, according to a hospital spokesperson.
The talks towards a ceasefire are set to continue this week in Cairo, following a two-day meeting in Doha last week. During his latest trip to Tel Aviv, Blinken will try to secure a breakthrough after Washington put forward bridging proposals that the mediating countries believe would close gaps between the warring parties.
The war began on October 7 when Hamas militants rampaged into Israel, leaving around 1,200 people dead and seizing around 250 hostages, according to Israel.
In a subsequent military campaign, Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Palestinian health authorities, according to Reuters. Israel has claimed that it has killed 17,000 Hamas combatants.
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