‘Probably the best, may be the last opportunity’ – Blinken on Gaza ceasefire talks

US Secretary of State Blinken is in the Middle East on another official visit. He has been regularly visiting the region since the beginning of the Gaza crisis on October 7. The ongoing Israel-Hamas fighting has already claimed over 40,000 lives.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Blinken called the latest diplomatic push by the US to achieve a ceasefire deal in Gaza “probably the best, may be the last opportunity,” calling on all parties to get the agreement over the finish line.

“It is time for everyone to get to yes”

The top US diplomat met Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday before heading into a meeting involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The marathon discussions about the Gaza ceasefire have been going on for months – recently held in Qatar.

Further talks are set to commence soon in Egypt. Simultaneously, Israeli military forces continue thrusting further into Gaza’s Khan Younis, according to residents, in the latest phase of their operation in the besieged enclave.

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“I’m here as part of an intensive diplomatic effort on President Biden’s instructions to try to get this agreement to the line and ultimately over the line … It is time for everyone to get to yes and to not look for any excuses to say no,” Blinken told reporters.

Disagreements hurting Gaza ceasefire negotiations

There have been months of on-off talks on the Gaza ceasefire efforts. Israel repeatedly stresses that the conflict can only end if Hamas is destroyed as a military and political force. But Hamas keeps repeating the need for a permanent, and not a temporary, truce.

There are disagreements over Israel’s continued military presence in Gaza and over the identity and number of prisoners to be freed in an exchange. It’s important for the talks in Egypt to bear satisfactory results in order to put an end to the brutal fighting raging on for months.