US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is predicted to reach in Israel on Sunday. The incident is a component of Washington's increasing diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire within the Gaza Strip and end the 10-month war between Israel and Hamas.
The top US diplomat's tenth visit to the region because the war began in October last 12 months comes just days after the United States recommend bridging proposals with mediators Qatar and Egypt to bridge the gap between the warring parties.
US officials speak of renewed optimism that the agreement may be brought across the finish line, but in addition indicate that much stays to be done.
“We have closed the remaining gaps and bridged those in a way that we believe essentially represents an agreement that can now be finalized, implemented and moved forward,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters on Friday.
In Israel, Blinken is predicted to satisfy with the Israeli prime minister and other senior officials.
The negotiations are happening within the shadow of a feared regional escalation. Iran has threatened retaliation against Israel following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.
Washington has repeatedly warned Iran against retaliating against Israel. The US official said such an act could have “catastrophic” consequences, especially for Iran.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and Italy expressed their support for the continued ceasefire talks and called on all sides to avoid “any escalation”.
Talks on the implementation of the agreement are expected to proceed early next week before senior officials meet again in Cairo. The aim is to conclude the agreement later that week, also in Cairo.
The Israeli negotiating team expressed “cautious optimism” on Saturday about the opportunity of an agreement, based on an announcement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha told Al Jazeera television on Saturday that Israel had added conditions to the ceasefire talks and accused Netanyahu of using them to hamper the efforts.
Even as hopes for a ceasefire grew, the war raged on. At least 17 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli strike within the Gaza town of Zawayda on Saturday, health officials said, while Israel issued latest evacuation orders, citing nearby Hamas rocket fire as the rationale.
The latest round of war within the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on October 7, when Hamas fighters invaded Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, based on Israeli sources.
Israel's ensuing military campaign has reduced large parts of the Gaza Strip to rubble and killed greater than 40,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, based on Palestinian health authorities. Israel says it has eliminated 17,000 Hamas fighters.
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