Blinken Puts Pressure on Hamas for Truce Deal: Will U.S Proposal End Gaza Conflict or Escalate More?
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is ramping up pressure on Hamas to accept a new proposal aimed at resolving the Gaza conflict. In a recent press briefing from Tel Aviv, Blinken described his talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "very constructive," with Netanyahu endorsing the latest US bridging proposal. But Hamas is pushing back, raising concerns and demanding a clear implementation mechanism. What’s at stake for the region and international diplomacy? Watch now to understand the latest developments and what could come next.
#Blinken #Hamas #GazaConflict #HostageDeal #USProposal #MiddleEastPeace #Israel #Netanyahu #Diplomacy #GlobalPolitics
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#Blinken #Hamas #GazaConflict #HostageDeal #USProposal #MiddleEastPeace #Israel #Netanyahu #Diplomacy #GlobalPolitics
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Transcript
00:00U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has intensified efforts to broker a resolution
00:12to the ongoing Gaza conflict.
00:14He is pressurizing Hamas to accept the latest U.S. proposal for a hostage deal.
00:20This development comes as Washington aims to end the war in Gaza through a new agreement.
00:27In a press briefing from Tel Aviv, Blinken described his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister
00:32Benjamin Netanyahu as very constructive.
00:37Following their discussions, Netanyahu publicly supported the new U.S. proposal, which seeks
00:43to bridge remaining gaps between the parties involved.
00:47Blinken emphasized that Netanyahu confirmed Israel's acceptance of this bridging proposal,
00:53which was first introduced in Doha last week.
00:57Blinken's comments underscored the urgency of Hamas's response.
01:01He stated, it's now incumbent on Hamas to do the same, and reiterated the need for Hamas
01:08to agree to the proposal.
01:10The next step involves detailed negotiations by expert teams to finalize and implement
01:15the agreement.
01:16However, Hamas has raised concerns about the proposal.
01:21Hamas official Osama Hamdan expressed skepticism, claiming that Blinken's statements do not
01:27align with the terms previously discussed.
01:31Hamdan highlighted that Hamas is seeking an implementation mechanism rather than new ceasefire
01:37negotiations, referencing their own July 2 proposal, which was rejected by Netanyahu.
01:45Netanyahu is committed to sending top Israeli negotiators to a potential summit in Cairo
01:51this week.
01:52This team, led by Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Beth, director Ronan Barr, and IDF hostage
01:59negotiator Nitzan Allen, were also involved in the Doha talks where the U.S. proposal
02:05was presented.
02:08Blinken addressed questions regarding the nature of the ceasefire, clarifying that the
02:12bridging proposal is aligned with the ceasefire agreement announced by President Joe Biden
02:18in May.
02:20This proposal, incorporated into a U.N. Security Council resolution, outlines a phased approach
02:26— an initial six-week ceasefire, hostage releases, prisoner exchanges, and ongoing
02:33negotiations for a lasting resolution.
02:36A significant issue remains the deployment of IDF troops along the Philadelphia corridor
02:42on the Egypt-Gaza border.
02:45Netanyahu insists on maintaining an IDF presence, a demand that Hamas rejects.
02:51The U.S., Egypt, and Qatar are working to address this and other gaps in this agreement.
02:58This is now my ninth trip to the region since October 7th, and President Biden asked me
03:04to come back on this trip with two main goals in mind.
03:09The first is to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to Israel's security.
03:14That's a commitment that we put into practice virtually every day since October 7th, including
03:20when Israel was attacked directly by Iran back in April.
03:25In recent weeks, given the heightened tensions, we have deployed additional assets to the
03:31region.
03:32The purpose of the deployment of these assets is not to provoke aggression, but rather to
03:39deter it, to make sure that it doesn't happen.
03:43But also to make clear that if it does, we are fully prepared to defend Israel.
03:50We've coupled this effort with an intense diplomatic campaign, virtually a global diplomatic
03:57campaign, working with countries around the world to send the message strongly to every
04:03concerned party not to take any steps that would escalate tensions, that would risk provoking
04:09a wider conflict.
04:11And this too has been something we've been working on from day one since October 7th.
04:15It's been one of our primary objectives to prevent the conflict from escalating, from
04:19spreading in other places.