US Urges Hamas to Accept Truce in Gaza
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas to accept a truce in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to send troops into the Palestinian territory’s southernmost city of Rafah.
Pressure for Ceasefire
Washington has heightened pressure on all sides to reach a ceasefire — a message pushed by Blinken, who was on his seventh regional tour since the war in Gaza broke out in October.
Consideration of Ceasefire Proposal
An Israeli official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the government “will wait for answers until Wednesday night,” and then “make a decision” whether to send a delegation to indirect talks being brokered by US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo.
The Palestinian militant group said it was considering a plan for a 40-day ceasefire and the exchange of scores of hostages for larger numbers of Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas Response
Hamas, whose envoys returned from talks in Egypt’s capital to their base in Qatar, would “discuss the ideas and the proposal,” said a Hamas source, adding: “We are keen to respond as quickly as possible.”
Blinken’s Message to Hamas
Blinken put the ball squarely in Hamas’ court. “There is a very strong proposal on the table right now. Hamas needs to say ‘yes,’ and needs to get this done,” he said.
Challenges and Analysis
Analysts questioned whether Hamas would sign up to another temporary ceasefire like the weeklong truce that saw more than 100 hostages released last November, knowing that Israeli troops could resume their onslaught as soon as it was over.
“I’m pessimistic about the option of Hamas agreeing to a deal that doesn’t have a permanent ceasefire baked into it,” said Mairav Zonszein, senior analyst on Israel-Palestine at the International Crisis Group.
International Mediation Efforts
Zonszein said the three countries brokering the truce talks had their own reasons for trying to bounce the warring parties into a deal.
“The US, Egypt and Qatar all have very strong interests of their own for various reasons — why they’re trying very hard now to pressure both sides into agreeing to a deal,” he said.
Israeli Intentions
Hours before Blinken landed in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu vowed to send Israeli ground troops into Rafah despite US warnings of potential civilian casualties.
“We will enter Rafah, and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there with or without a deal,” Netanyahu stated.
Humanitarian Aid and Truce
On the previous leg of his regional tour in Jordan, Blinken emphasized that a Gaza truce and the redoubling of aid deliveries went hand in hand.
A truce is “the most effective way to relieve the suffering” of civilians in Gaza, he said.
United Nations agencies have warned that without urgent intervention, famine looms in Gaza, particularly in northern areas, which are hardest to reach.
