Eyes on Hamas after Israel confirms support for U.S. ceasefire proposal

Transcript

00:00In other news, America's top diplomat Antony Blinken announced a breakthrough negotiations

00:04for Biden's proposed ceasefire after Israel said it would approve its end of the deal.

00:10Now it is up to Hamas who could end the war and suffering of Palestinians in Gaza or scuttle

00:15the deal for the ultimate breakdown in this long-drawn-out saga.

00:18VW's Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the full report.

00:24Israel is on board with a proposal presented last week that breaches the remaining differences

00:29to reach a ceasefire in its war with Hamas.

00:32U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the announcement Monday after holding several

00:38meetings with top Israeli officials.

00:40The next important step is for Hamas to say yes and then in the coming days for all of

00:45the expert negotiators to get together to work on clear understandings on implementing

00:51the agreement.

00:52Pressure is building on the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

00:56to secure the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on October 7.

01:02Blinken conveyed to him the importance of reaching a ceasefire agreement now.

01:07With every passing day that there's not an agreement, two things can happen.

01:14One is, of course, more hostages can perish.

01:20Second, intervening events come along that may make things even more difficult, if not

01:27impossible.

01:28Blinken said he brought up the urgency of addressing the humanitarian situation in Gaza

01:33when he met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant.

01:38Discussions also included the possible re-emergence of polio in the Gaza Strip.

01:44Palestinian health officials reported a case last week in an unvaccinated child.

01:49We've been working on a detailed plan to make sure that those who need to be vaccinated

01:53against it can get vaccinated and we're working with the Israeli government on that.

01:59Blinken expects to learn Hamas' stance on the bridging proposal when he meets Tuesday

02:04with mediators from Egypt and Qatar in the coastal town of El Alamein, Egypt.

02:10Veronica Banderas Ignatius, VOA News.