October 23, 2024
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Israel needs to pursue an “enduring strategic success” in Gaza after its tactical victories against Hamas, urging it to seek a deal that would end the war and bring back dozens of hostages.
He spoke before traveling from Israel to Saudi Arabia on his 11th visit to the region since the war began. Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv shortly before his departure as Israel intercepted two projectiles fired from Lebanon — the latest in Israel's war with Hezbollah — and a puff of smoke could be seen in the sky from Blinken's hotel.
“Israel has achieved most of the strategic objectives when it comes to Gaza," Blinken told reporters before boarding his plane. “Now is the time to turn those successes into an enduring strategic success.”
“There really are two things left to do: Get the hostages home and bring the war to an end with an understanding of what will follow,” he said.
Meanwhile, officials with the U.S., Israel and Egypt confirmed that a proposal for a limited cease-fire and hostage release has been discussed in recent days.
The United States sees a new opportunity to revive cease-fire efforts after the killing of top Hamas terrorist leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli forces in Gaza last week. But there’s no indication that the warring parties have modified their demands since talks stalled over the summer.
There was also no immediate sign of a breakthrough after Blinken met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials on Tuesday.
Israel blamed the failure of talks on Sinwar's hard-line stance, but Hamas says its demands for a lasting cease-fire, full Israeli withdrawal and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners have not changed.
Egypt has suggested the possibility of a short pause in fighting in which Hamas would release a handful of hostages and humanitarian aid deliveries would be increased, especially in northern Gaza, an Egyptian official told The Associated Press.
The official, who was not authorized to brief media and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Egypt and fellow mediator Qatar had discussed the idea with the United States but it was not yet a firm proposal.
A senior State Department official confirmed that a proposal for a limited hostage release has been discussed in recent days but that no determination had been made, even after Blinken's meetings with Israeli officials and families of the hostages on Tuesday.
An Israeli official said Israel's Security Cabinet had discussed an Egyptian initiative centered on a 12-day cease-fire and the release of six hostages. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks.
Hamas has rejected such ideas in the past. It is still holding around 100 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack that triggered the war, around a third of whom are believed to be dead.
