Blinken in Israel to push swap deal, Hamas rules out imminent deal | News

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken begins a visit to Israel on Sunday as part of US efforts to push forward a ceasefire deal in Gaza Strip And the exchange of prisoners and detainees, and this coincides with cautious optimism in Israel and objection from the Islamic Resistance Movement (agitation).

On his ninth trip to the region since October 7, Blinken will meet with Israeli leaders,He did not announce any other stops on his trip, unlike his previous visits, which included meetings with leaders in a number of Arab countries in the region.

The trip comes two days after talks in Doha on a ceasefire agreement and the exchange of prisoners and detainees. Qatar, Egypt and the United States – which is supervising the mediation in the talks – announced that the United States had presented a new proposal that “reduces the gaps” between Hamas and Israel.

The US President stressed Joe Biden A ceasefire agreement is “closer than ever,” but Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri said that “talk about reaching a ceasefire agreement is an illusion.”

Abu Zuhri stressed – in a statement carried by Agence France-Presse – that “the occupation continues to obstruct all efforts to complete any agreement,” adding, “We are not facing a real agreement or negotiations, but rather the imposition of American dictates.”

A US official acknowledged that the negotiation process has not yet reached its “final stage,” noting that diplomats are currently working to prepare a “cell” to be able to quickly implement the terms of any potential agreement.

Channel 12 quoted informed officials as saying that there is no reason to be optimistic if Israel does not show real flexibility regarding the deal, while the Israel Hayom newspaper reported that Netanyahu is determined to resume the war after the agreement is exhausted and is requesting a written American pledge to do so.

Cautious optimism

In contrast, the Israeli negotiators who returned from the Doha talks yesterday, Saturday, expressed their “cautious optimism” to the Israeli Prime Minister. Benjamin Netanyahu“There is hope that the heavy pressure from the United States and the mediators on Hamas will allow it to back down from its opposition to the American proposal, which includes elements acceptable to Israel,” the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

In the previous rounds of talks, the Israeli Prime Minister set conditions for reaching an agreement, including continued control over Philadelphia Axis andNatsarim axis…and placing restrictions on the return of residents to the northern Gaza Strip, conditions that Hamas strongly rejects.

For its part, Israeli Channel 12 quoted sources as giving details about the latest American proposal regarding the exchange deal and ceasefire. The sources stated that the proposal specified the number and names of detainees who would be released in the first phase.

According to the proposal, women and female soldiers would be released first, as would living detainees. The proposal also included the names of Palestinian prisoners who would be released in exchange for every Israeli detainee.

The list of Palestinian prisoners includes the names of 47 prisoners who were released in the Israeli soldier deal. Gilad Shalit They were finally re-imprisoned.

Channel 12 also reported that the American proposal met most of Israel's demands without resolving the dispute over the Philadelphi and Netzarim axes.

For its part, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted officials as saying that “the differences regarding the Philadelphi Corridor can be resolved, and that there is support for the American proposal.”

The Authority added that there are deep differences between the parties, especially regarding the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip.

Tel Aviv continues – with American support – its bloody war on the Gaza Strip, which has entered its 11th consecutive month, and has led to the martyrdom and injury of more than 132 thousand Palestinians, most of them children and women, and more than 10 thousand missing, amidst massive destruction and deadly famine.