TEL AVIV: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to advance a deal to secure the release of Israeli prisoners in Gaza in talks with Israeli moderates on Thursday as he wrapped up a Middle East tour without securing a pause in the fighting, AFP reported.
U.S. officials played down expectations that Blinken would make a breakthrough during his fifth visit to the region since the Oct. 7 airstrikes, and few expected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately accede to the Qatari-brokered offer.
Blinken remained upbeat despite Netanyahu’s vocal rejection of Hamas demands and his pledge to expand the four-month offensive in Gaza on Wednesday, hours after they met.
The top US diplomat held talks in Tel Aviv with Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, two former military chiefs who joined the unity cabinet after October 7.
Blinken said he spoke to them about “the hostages and the strong desire we both have to see them return to their families, the work being done to do that.”
“The most pressing issue, of course, is to find ways to bring back the hostages,” Gantz told the foreign minister.
“Many things can be accomplished this way,” Gantz said.
HOPE FOR PROGRESS
On his fifth trip since October, Blinken has toured the Middle East and brought Hamas’ response to the prisoner release deal to Israel via Qatar.
The US secretary of state said he still saw room for talks to improve the deal and secure the release of prisoners as Egypt and Qatar held a new round of talks with Hamas in Cairo on Thursday.
Blinken also met with Israel’s main opposition leader Yair Lapid on Thursday.
Blinken has urged Israel to provide more aid to Gaza, where the United Nations has expressed fears of famine and most buildings are in ruins, but Israel has cited security concerns over severe restrictions on access to the blockaded territory.
In a plea at a news conference on Wednesday, Blinken said Israel should not “dehumanize” Palestinians because of the Hamas airstrikes.
“The vast majority of people in Gaza had nothing to do with the October 7 attacks, and the families in Gaza who depend on the aid deliveries from Israel for their survival are like our families,” Blinken said.
