Blinken says negotiations on ceasefire, hostage release ‘getting closer’

Negotiations to secure an immediate ceasefire in the war in Gaza tied to the release of hostages held by Hamas are “getting closer” to a deal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

Negotiations to secure an immediate ceasefire in the war in Gaza tied to the release of hostages held by Hamas are “getting closer” to a deal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. “I think the gaps are narrowing, and I think an agreement is very much possible,” Blinken said in an interview with Al-Hadath in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, according to a transcript released by the State Department. “We worked very hard with Qatar, with Egypt, and with Israel to put a strong proposal on the table. We did that; Hamas wouldn’t accept it. They came back with other requests, other demands. The negotiators are working on that right now,” Blinken explained. Blinken did not give details about what gaps were narrowing or what undergirded his confidence that an agreement is possible. President Joe Biden last month expressed confidence that a ceasefire was near, but his administration later walked back that prediction after officials from Israel, Hamas and Qatar distanced themselves from Biden’s optimism. Blinken again reiterated that the onus is on Hamas to accept the proposal that is on the table, with a senior Biden administration official telling reporters earlier this month that a six-week ceasefire was “basically accepted” by Israel. “A very strong proposal was put on the table, and we have to see if Hamas can say yes to the proposal. If it does – if it does – that’s the most immediate way to alleviate the misery of people in Gaza, which is very much what we want,” Blinken said.