Blinken says Israel accepted US ceasefire proposal

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has wrapped up a brief visit to Israel, said in Tel Aviv that during his meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister told him that he has accepted the ceasefire agreement proposed by Washington last week and that he now expects the Hamas terrorist group to do the same.

"President Biden asked me to come back on this trip ... to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to Israel's security." He added that in the wake of the tension, Washington has sent more military assets to the region, not to provoke, but to deter. If necessary, "we are prepared to defend Israel," Blinken said.

The secretary of state added that the proposal seeks to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the release of the hostages, seeing it as the best way to bring the hostages home, achieve a ceasefire that preserves Israel's security interests and increase humanitarian aid to Gaza.

He said that Biden presented a proposal together with Qatar and Egypt to bridge the remaining gaps between the parties. He added that in a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, he confirmed that Israel accepts the mediation proposal and supports it and that now “Hamas must do the same.”

Following his meeting with the U.S. official, Netanyahu said he "had a very good and important meeting today with Secretary of State Blinken. I greatly appreciate the efforts that the U.S. is making in regional defense against the Iranian axis. This is important, of course, for the State of Israel."

"I also greatly appreciate the understanding that the U.S. showed to our vital security interests, amid our joint efforts to bring about the releases of our hostages," Netanyahu noted. He added: "I would like to emphasize: efforts to release a maximum number of living hostages – already in the first stage of the deal."