Internal and external pressure mounts on the Israeli administration to halt hostilities against Hamas.
An anonymous member of the delegation mentioned rumors that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was pushing for control over the Philadelphi Corridor at the Gaza Strip-Egypt border during talks. A senior U.S. official, who was with Blinken, commented that such aggressive statements weren't helpful in securing a ceasefire agreement.
Blinken first visited Egypt on Tuesday, where he discussed with President al-Sisi about preventing a conflict intensification.
Negotiations halted in Doha on Friday will resume in Cairo later this week. Following his Cairo visit, Blinken proceeded to Doha to meet with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. In Doha, Blinken advised that time was running out for a settlement. The U.S. wouldn't tolerate a prolonged Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip.
The U.S. recently proposed a new compromise to the warring parties. The U.S., along with Egypt and Qatar, announced that the proposal had bridged the remaining differences.
Following a meeting with Netanyahu, Blinken stated on Monday that Netanyahu agreed to accept the compromise proposal during a productive discussion. Now, it's Hamas' turn to accept the proposal.
However, U.S. President Biden stated that Hamas was pulling back from a deal with Israel. "Israel thinks it can resolve this (...) Hamas is now disengaging," said Biden.
Hamas discredited Biden's claims as misleading, arguing that the U.S. was incentivizing Israel to prolong the conflict. In truth, Hamas is keen on reaching a ceasefire agreement.
The urgency of a truce was emphasized by the retrieval of six deceased Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip. The six Israelis, previously presumed dead, were recovered from Khanyounis, as announced by the Israeli military.
Their identities were confirmed as Yagav Buchstab, Alexander Dancyg, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, Chaim Perry, and Avraham Munder. The recovery was reportedly a joint operation with the Shin Bet internal security service.
The families of those still captive in the Gaza Strip urged the Israeli government to bring their relatives home as part of a deal with Hamas. The Israeli government needs to "do its best" to secure such an agreement, the families stated.
The Gaza Strip conflict started with Hamas' major assault on Israel on October 7. As per Israeli data, 1,198 people were killed and 251 were seized in Gaza. Since then, Israel has been conducting extensive military operations in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-controlled health ministry, more than 40,100 people have been killed since then.
After the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah's military chief Fuad Shukr in late July, tensions escalated. Iran and its allies blamed Israel and threatened retaliation.
On Tuesday, the Hezbollah militia launched "around 55 projectiles" at the Golan Heights, annexed by Israel, and northern Israel, according to Israeli reports. There were no injuries reported, but fires ignited in several places. The Lebanese Health Ministry declared that three people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
The Commission, comprising the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar, collectively expressed optimism about the potential of the newly proposed compromise to bridge remaining differences. However, the Commission expressed concern over Hamas' alleged disengagement from the proposed agreement.
