Gaza ceasefire deal "now is in sight" - US Special Representative to UN

The US Special Representative has urged members of the Security Council to pressure the Palestinian militant group Hamas to accept an interim proposal agreed upon with Israel. This proposal, put forward last week by the US, Qatar, and Egypt, aligns with the plan outlined by US President Joe Biden in May and endorsed by the UN Security Council in June.

"Israel has accepted the bridging proposal. Now Hamas must do the same. As members of this council, we must speak with one voice, and we must use our leverage to press Hamas to accept the bridging proposal," Thomas-Greenfield said.

Sources familiar with the negotiations indicated that disagreements over Israel’s future military presence in Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners are hindering the agreement. This demand from Israel came after Hamas accepted Biden’s proposal in May.

"It's a decisive moment for ceasefire talks and for the region, and so every member of this council should continue to send strong messages to other actors in the region to avoid actions that would move us away from finalizing this deal," Thomas-Greenfield concluded.

War in the Middle East

Reuters noted that the Gaza conflict has heightened tensions across the Middle East, triggering months of border clashes between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, and raising the risk of a larger escalation involving major powers.

Iran has also vowed to retaliate for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, which it has blamed on Israel. Israel, in turn, has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the killing.

The current war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israeli settlements, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages, according to Israeli estimates.

Earlier, it was examined whether diplomacy could prevent a war between Iran and Israel.