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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted a US-backed “bridging proposal” to secure a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday.
Netanyahu’s office confirmed he accepted the text, and Blinken called on Hamas to follow suit.
Blinken did not specify what the proposal entailed, including whether it addressed specific demands Israel and Hamas had made that neither accepted.
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This is Blinken’s ninth trip to the region since Oct. 7. At stake for the Biden administration, The New York Times noted, is not just ending the conflict in Gaza, but averting a broader regional war with Iran, which has suggested it will delay a promised attack on Israel while the talks continue.
Preceding Blinken’s visit were trips by his French and British counterparts. In a joint article published on Sunday, the pair warned of a cycle of violence. “One miscalculation, and the situation risks spiralling into an even deeper and more intractable conflict.”