US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday expressed cautious optimism about the possibility of securing a deal between Israel and Hamas for the release of hostages.
During an interview with Bloomberg, Blinken was asked if recent developments have given him more confidence that a resolution is achievable.
“There is, and the reality is we should logically be able to get this. And I say that with all the caution that comes with that statement because we’ve been very close before,” Blinken responded.
He elaborated further, saying, “But what’s changed is this: Hamas knows that the calvary’s not coming to the rescue. For months and months and months, it hoped it would get a wider war with Hezbollah, with Iran, with Iranian-aligned groups coming in and creating more problems for Israel on more fronts and helping Hamas endure. We now know that’s not happening, they know it’s not happening because of the very important work that was done with us and with others dealing with the unprecedented Iranian attacks on Israel, dealing with Hezbollah. So I think that’s concentrated minds among Hamas on the need to complete this deal.”
Despite this, Blinken warned that achieving such agreements remains complex. “It’s always incredibly fraught and it’s very hard to get decisions made, it’s hard to communicate. And for all of those reasons, even as close as it is, it can still move in the other direction, but we have – we’ve all been fanning out, working with all of the different partners who can make a difference and who may have some leverage with, communications with Hamas – whether it’s Qatar, whether it’s Egypt, whether it’s Turkey, where I was just last week,” he said.
“The fundamental question right now is: Is Hamas finally prepared to say yes? And if it does, we get the hostages back, we get a ceasefire, we get an immediate dramatic improvement in the lives of Palestinian children, women, and men who have been caught in this horrible crossfire since October 7th of Hamas’ making. If they really purport to care about the Palestinian people, they will say yes and do it now,” he emphasized.
Regarding the potential normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Blinken reiterated a key condition, as he has before: “a credible pathway toward a Palestinian state.”
These remarks come as reports suggest that a ceasefire and hostage release agreement might be closer than ever.
On Thursday morning, Hamas sources told Al-Akhbar newspaper that discussions are progressing “excellently” and voiced optimism that “we will have an agreement” soon.
However, the sources acknowledged that two critical issues remain unresolved.
The first challenge stems from Israel’s demand for a detailed list of the hostages, both living and deceased. Hamas claims that a week-long cessation of fighting is necessary for their operatives to locate all captives and assess their conditions.
The second sticking point concerns Israel’s request to include abducted soldiers meeting “humanitarian” criteria in the deal’s initial phase, particularly injured soldiers. Hamas has pushed back against this, arguing that it conflicts with pre-agreed terms regarding the ratio of convicted terrorists to be exchanged for hostages.
Earlier in the week, Defense Minister Israel Katz addressed the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, affirming that Israel is “closer than ever” to finalizing a deal with Hamas.
Katz explained that the agreement would unfold in stages, adding, “The Philadelphi Corridor and the Netzarim Corridor will not be an obstacle to implementing a deal. There is flexibility from the other side on these issues.”
{Matzav.com}