Israel supports US proposal for agreement with Hamas on hostages - Blinken
Photo: Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Israel supported the agreement with Hamas on the release of hostages proposed by the United States, states US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The US Secretary of State is on a visit to Israel. On August 19, he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"He (Netanyahu) confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal, that he supports it," Blinken stated.
According to him, the final decision now rests with Hamas. If it happens, the conflicting parties, with the mediation of the US, Egypt, and Qatar, need to reach agreements on how they will fulfill their obligations under the agreement.
In turn, Netanyahu confirmed that his country supports the US initiative.
What preceded
In October of last year, Hamas militants invaded Israeli territory. They abducted and killed local residents, including both civilians and military personnel.
In response, Israel launched an operation in the Gaza Strip aimed at eliminating Hamas terrorists.
The country also seeks to free hostages taken by the militants. The conflicting parties have already managed to reach ceasefire agreements to release abducted individuals.
A few days ago, US President Joe Biden stated that Israel and Hamas are "closer than ever" to reaching a ceasefire agreement.
