La presión interna y externa aumenta sobre la administración israelí para detener las hostilidades contra Hamas.
Un miembro anónimo de la delegación presentó acusaciones de que el primer ministro israelí Netanyahu insistía en mantener el control sobre el corredor de Philadelphi, una región controvertida en la frontera entre Gaza y Egipto, durante las negociaciones de paz. Un alto funcionario estadounidense, que acompañaba a Blinken, argumentó que tales declaraciones extremas eran contraproducentes para lograr un acuerdo de alto el fuego.
Blinken comenzó su viaje a Egipto el martes, donde mantuvo discusiones con el presidente al-Sisi, quien advirtió contra la escalada de la violencia. Las discusiones que habían sido pospuestas en Doha el viernes se programaron para reanudarse en El Cairo hacia el final de la semana. Después de El Cairo, Blinken se dirigió a Doha. En Doha, Blinken expresó su preocupación de que se estaba acabando el tiempo para un acuerdo, expresando la unwillingness de Estados Unidos de soportar una "prolongada" ocupación israelí de la Franja de Gaza.
En Catar, Blinken mantuvo conversaciones con su homólogo catarí, según informes de Doha, con el objetivo de mediación conjunta para poner fin al conflicto. Desafortunadamente, Blinken no pudo reunirse con el emir catarí Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani debido a razones de salud; en su lugar, se comunicarán por teléfono.
Estados Unidos recently proposed a new compromise to the conflicting parties, mentioned in a joint declaration by the mediators, including the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar. According to the statement, the proposal managed to bridge the remaining gaps.
After talks with Netanyahu, Blinken asserted that the Israeli prime minister had agreed to the compromise proposal during a productive meeting. However, the responsibility now falls on Hamas to accept the agreement.
En contraposición, el presidente Biden sugirió que Hamas se estaba alejando de un acuerdo con Israel. "Israel claims to have found a solution (...) Hamas is now retreating," stated Biden.
Hamas dismissed these assertions as misleading claims, communicating that such claims offer Israel a green light to continue the conflict. In reality, Hamas is eager to achieve a ceasefire agreement.
The urgency for an agreement was emphasized by the reemergence of six deceased Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip. The bodies of the aforementioned Israelis, previously presumed dead, were retrieved from Khan Yunis, as announced by the Israeli military.
The families of those still held captive in the Gaza Strip urged the Israeli government to secure the return of their relatives as part of a peace agreement with Hamas. The Israeli government was exhorted to exert every possible effort to negotiate such an accord, as per the families' forum.
The Gaza Strip conflict originated from Hamas's massive attack on Israel on October 7. According to Israeli reports, 1199 lives were lost, and 251 individuals were seized and transferred to the Gaza Strip. Since then, Israel has been involved in extensive military operations in the Gaza Strip. According to data from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health (unverifiable), over 40,100 people have perished thus far.
Since the onset of the Gaza Strip conflict, scuffles between the pro-iranian Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Israeli army have significantly escalated. Hezbollah has been engaged in nearly daily shelling of Israel from Lebanon for ten months. Israel retaliates with attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
On Wednesday morning, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported one fatality and 19 injured individuals due to Israeli attacks in the eastern part of the country. The circumstances surrounding the deaths remain unclear – whether they were combatants or civilians. The day prior, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported four fatalities due to Israeli attacks.
The U.S. government, led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, has been actively involved in mediating peace talks between Israel and Hamas. The Government of Qatar has also been a key player in these efforts, with Blinken holding talks in Doha.
Following the release of the bodies of six deceased Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip, the families of those still captured urged the Israeli government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Netanyahu, to secure their return as part of a peace agreement.
