Blinken in Israel tries to push for ceasefire in Gaza: “This is perhaps the last chance for truce”

AND arrived in Israel to promote the agreement for the ceasefire in Gaza, making it clear immediately that the current interviews “pcould be the last possibility for a truce” in the Strip. The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinkenappeals to Hamas and to Israel not to “derail” the efforts: “This is a decisive momentprobably the best, perhaps the last, opportunity to bring the hostages home, to get a cease-fire and to put everyone on the best path to lasting peace and security,” Blinken said while meeting with the Israeli president Isaac Herzog.

Between civilian houses bombeddead, displaced and injuredthe ceasefire agreement seems to be still a long way off. Blinken’s is the ninth trip in the region since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out. His presence in the Middle East was possible, after days of delays, because at the moment Iran And Hezbollah they are keeping the revenge against Israel cold. Waiting to meet the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuthe US Secretary of State in his statements did not attribute the responsibility for the fact that there is still no agreement to Hamas: “It is time for it to be done. It is also time to make sure that no one takes measures that could derail this process. So we are trying to make sure that there is not aescalationthat there are none provocationsthat there are no actions that in any way could distance us from completing this agreement or that lead to an escalation of the conflict in other places and with greater intensity,” Blinken said. The head of US diplomacy is thus trying to give a push for reaching an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages. All this while from the US the president Joe Biden speaks of a “truce still possible” and his deputy Kamala Harris – Democratic presidential candidate – he assures: “We don’t give up, we keep working hard”.

While waiting to meet Blinken, Prime Minister Netanyahu on Sunday covered his tracks: “There are things we can be flexible on and others we cannot be flexible on,” he said at the cabinet meeting. A strategy similar to that of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who at the beginning of the meeting with the US Secretary of State was keen to point out that “people need to understand that It all starts with Hamas’ refusal to move forward“. As reported by the Times of Israel, Herzog reiterated Israel’s hope to “be able to move forward in negotiations led by the mediators,” the United States, Egypt and Qatar, for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held in the Palestinian enclave since the October 7 attack on Israel. “There is no greater humanitarian goal and there is no humanitarian cause bigger than bringing home our hostages, who should have come back a long time ago,” he added.