United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted the latest “bridging” proposal regarding a potential ceasefire in Gaza. “It’s now incumbent on Hamas to do the same,” Blinken underlined during a press conference, adding that after that, the mediators have to “come together and complete the process of reaching clear understandings about how they will implement the commitments they made in this agreement.” He reaffirmed that Washington is “deeply committed” to getting the job done as quickly as possible.
Netanyahu: Ceasefire deal in first stage
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Monday that the process of reaching an agreement on a new ceasefire and prisoner exchange between his country and Hamas is “already in the first stage.” Speaking in a video released on social media as United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a press conference and announced that Israel accepted the latest version of a deal proposed by the mediators, Netanyahu first thanked Washington for the “understanding” it “has shown to our vital security interests, in the course of our joint efforts to bring about the release of our hostages.”During the conference, Blinken explained that the agreed ceasefire will “proceed in phases” that will last six weeks. NN: Hamas has not agreed to this deal…… It will never make it to the final stages.