Blinken calls on Israel and Hamas to proceed with cease-fire agreement

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, talked with leaders of Israel on Wednesday to try to make them agree to stop fighting with Hamas. He said it’s important to make a deal now to stop the fighting and bring peace to Gaza.

He said Hamas will be responsible if we can’t make a deal work.

Blinken is visiting the region for the seventh time since the war started in October. He is trying to make a deal between Israel and Hamas to avoid Israel invading the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where many Palestinians are staying.

The current discussions seem important, but the two parties still disagree on a key issue – whether the war should stop as part of a possible agreement.

We really want a ceasefire to bring the hostages back home. We want it now. The only reason it might not happen is because of Hamas, said Blinken to Israel’s President Herzog at a meeting in Tel Aviv.

“There is a suggestion that we need to discuss, and as we’ve already mentioned, we don’t want any delays or excuses. ” He said, “It is now the time. ”

Blinken said the agreement would also help send important food, medicine, and water to Gaza. The war there has caused a big problem for the people and forced many of them to leave their homes.

Blinken also talked to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but we don’t know what they talked about yet.

Before, Blinken briefly said hello to a group of people outside his hotel who were asking for the release of American hostages held by Hamas, after meeting with Herzog and the hostages’ families.

The protesters were saying “SOS, USA, only you can save the day” and “In Blinken we trust, bring them home to us,” as they asked him to help their situation with Netanyahu.

Blinken told the families that there was a good plan on the table and that Hamas needs to agree to it. “We are determined and won’t stop until we reunite you with your loved ones,” he said.

He made these comments at the end of his trip to the region. Before that, he had visited Saudi Arabia and Jordan. He told Hamas to accept the new proposal from Israel, which he thought was very fair.

The State Department said he will go to an Israeli port where help for Gaza is coming in.

The United States has strongly supported Israel’s war since Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct 7. However, it is very upset about the large number of Palestinian civilians who have been hurt in Gaza. It is also very against Israel’s idea to attack Rafah, which is the southernmost city in Gaza. Around 15 million Palestinians have gone to Rafah to escape the fighting in other parts of the territory.

Washington told Israel not to attack in a way that would endanger innocent people.

Netanyahu says he will attack Rafah, which he thinks is the last place where Hamas has control in the coastal area. He said he will do this even if there is no ceasefire agreement.

The deal being talked about will release many hostages in exchange for a six-week break in fighting.