Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Aug. 19 that the current push for a cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza is likely the final chance to end the war in the near future.
“This is a decisive moment, probably the best, maybe the last opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a cease-fire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security,” Blinken told reporters in Jerusalem as he met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel, Hamas, and other parties are expected to hold talks about a possible deal later this week in Egypt. The push was made as fears that the Gaza conflict would spread to other Middle Eastern countries increased following warnings from Iran and the killings of top Hezbollah and Hamas commanders in recent weeks.
“It’s also time to make sure that no one takes any steps that could derail this process,” Blinken said, possibly referring to Iran and groups such as Hezbollah. “And so we’re working to make sure that there is no escalation, that there are no provocations, that there are no actions that in any way move us away from getting this deal over the line, or for that matter, escalating the conflict to other places and to greater intensity.”
Late on Aug. 18, Hamas said in a statement that Netanyahu has continued to set obstacles to a deal by demanding new conditions, accusing him of wanting to prolong the war. It stated that the mediators’ latest offer was a capitulation to Israel.
“The new proposal responds to Netanyahu’s conditions,” Hamas stated.
Mediators are to meet again this week in Cairo to try for a cease-fire. Blinken will travel to Egypt on Aug. 20 after he wraps up his Israel stop, one of many he has made since the conflict erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, with a series of Hamas terrorist attacks that left 1,200 Israeli civilians dead.
He met one-on-one with Netanyahu for 2 1/2 hours on Aug. 19 and was to meet with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant later in the day.
In addition to the killings, Hamas abducted about 250 civilians. Of those, about 110 are still believed to be in Gaza, held by the terrorist group, officials said. Israeli authorities have said that they believe a significant portion are likely dead.
Iranian officials have issued frequent warnings about a reprisal against Israel in the coming days. The country’s top leader, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said in a speech this past week that his country would face “divine wrath” if it did nothing against Israel after the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
“Governments that yield to the demands of today’s dominant powers, regardless of the size or strength of the nations they represent, could defy these pressures if they draw on the strength of their people and accurately assess their adversaries’ true, unembellished capabilities,” Khamenei said, according to Iranian media reports.
Bombing in Tel Aviv
Blinken’s trip comes as Hamas and related terror group Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing near a Tel Aviv synagogue on Aug. 19.In a statement, the groups threatened to continue attacking “as long as the occupation’s massacres, displacement of civilians, and the continuation of the assassination policy continues.”
They did not identify the attacker or give a motive.
