Top US diplomat visits Israel, as Hamas, Netanyahu far apart on Gaza ceasefire

Blinken arrived in Israel on Sunday, days after the US put forward proposals that it and mediators Qatar and Egypt believe would close gaps between Israel and Hamas. Truce talks are expected to resume in Cairo in the coming days after two days of negotiations in Doha this week.

Mediators have said they presented a bridging ceasefire proposal to both sides and that negotiations were making progress, but they also cautioned that there is still work to be done.

In Israel, Blinken is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials.

Blinken will then head to Egypt on Tuesday, the State Department said.

Hamas said in a statement Sunday that the group remains committed to a plan announced by US President Joe Biden in late May and called on mediators to oblige Israel to implement the proposal.

However, the Palestinian group made clear that it was opposed to what it says it has briefed on about the deal under discussion at the talks held in Doha last week.

“The new proposal responds to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s conditions and aligns with them, especially his rejection of a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and his insistence on continuing to occupy the Netzarim Junction, the Rafah Crossing, and the Philadelphi Corridor,” the statement read, in reference to areas Israel has occupied in Gaza.

“He also set new conditions in the prisoner exchange file, and backed down from other items, which prevents the completion of the exchange deal.”

“We hold Netanyahu fully responsible for thwarting the mediators’ efforts, obstructing reaching an agreement, and fully responsible for the lives of his prisoners who are exposed to the same danger that our people are exposed to, as a result of his continued aggression and systematic targeting of all aspects of life in the Gaza Strip,” it added.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office meanwhile insisted in a statement Sunday that Israel would not back down from its requirement that any ceasefire deal needs to allow it to continue its war on Gaza, despite repeated US statements that the deal would lead to an end to the conflict.

“Even today, the Prime Minister insists that we remain in the Philadelphia axis to prevent the terrorists from re-arming,” it said.

“The Prime Minister will continue to promote a deal that will maximise the number of abductees alive and that will enable the achievement of all the war’s goals.”

Negotiations are unfolding under the threat of a regional escalation, with Iran pledging to retaliate against Israel following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israel’s deadly attacks continue, with nearly two dozen people killed overnight and into Sunday – including a family of eight. This week, the death toll from Israel’s bombardment in the Gaza Strip reached 40,000, according to Palestinian health authorities.