U.S. insists Gaza truce negotiations are "close to their goal"

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that negotiations on a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas are nearing the "finish line."

"I think we're a few feet away and moving toward the finish line" to get a "deal that would produce a cease-fire, bring the hostages home and put us on a better path to try to build lasting peace and stability," Blinken told a forum in Colorado (West).

"There remain issues to be resolved, to be negotiated. This is exactly what we are doing," he added, recalling, however, that Israel and Hamas accepted the framework agreement presented several weeks ago by U.S. President Joe Biden.

"The issue now is to be able to complete negotiations on a series of critical points that Hamas has not yet endorsed," he said.

After more than nine months of intense conflict in the Palestinian territory, triggered on Oct. 7 by an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel, negotiations for a cease-fire remain blocked.

Moreover, Blinken stressed that once the "finish line" of a cease-fire has been "crossed," this is "not enough," insisting on the need for a "clear plan" for the post-war period, in order to avoid falling back into chaos.