Talks reopen on a limited ceasefire as Blinken tells Israel to seek an enduring deal

Officials from three countries say a proposal for a limited ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a hostage release has been discussed in recent days.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves before boarding his aircraft at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod on Wednesday as he departs for Riyadh for the Saudi leg of his trip. Picture: AFP

Officials with the US, Israel and Egypt have confirmed that a proposal for a limited ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a hostage release has been discussed in recent days.

The US sees a new opportunity to revive ceasefire efforts after the killing of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli forces in Gaza last week.

There’s no indication, however, that the warring parties have modified their demands since talks stalled over the summer. There was also no immediate sign of a breakthrough after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials on Tuesday.

Israel blamed the failure of talks on Sinwar’s hardline stance, but Hamas says its demands for a lasting ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners had not changed. Hamas blamed the talks failure on Israel’s demand for a lasting military presence in parts of Gaza.

Egypt has suggested the possibility of a short pause in fighting in which Hamas would release a handful of hostages and humanitarian aid deliveries would be increased, especially in northern Gaza, an Egyptian official told Associated Press.

The official said Egypt and fellow mediator Qatar had discussed the idea with the US but it was not yet a firm proposal.

A senior US State Department official confirmed a proposal for a limited hostage release has been discussed in recent days but no determination had been made, even after Mr Blinken’s meetings with Israeli officials and families of the hostages on Tuesday.

An Israeli official said Israel’s security cabinet had discussed an Egyptian initiative centered on a 12-day ceasefire and the release of six hostages.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas, which has rejected such ideas in the past, saying it is intent on ending the war. It is still holding about 100 hostages captured in its October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war, around a third of whom are believed to be dead. During a week-long ceasefire in late November, 105 Israeli and foreign hostages were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Mr Blinken on Wednesday said Israel needed to pursue an “enduring strategic success” in Gaza after its tactical victories against Hamas, urging it to seek a deal that would end the war and bring back dozens of hostages.

He spoke before travelling from Israel to Saudi Arabia on his 11th visit to the region since the war began. Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv shortly before his departure as Israel intercepted two projectiles fired from Lebanon – the latest in Israel’s war with Hezbollah – and a puff of smoke could be seen in the sky from Mr Blinken’s hotel

“Israel has achieved most of the strategic objectives when it comes to Gaza,” he said before boarding his plane.

“Now is the time to turn those successes into an enduring strategic success. There really are two things left to do: Get the hostages home and bring the war to an end with an understanding of what will follow.”

Israel has dramatically reduced the humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza as it wages another major operation in the territory’s hard-hit north.

Mr Blinken reiterated a warning that hindering humanitarian aid could force the US to scale back crucial military support it has provided to Israel since the war began.

“There’s progress made, which is good, but more progress needs to be made,” he said.

The UN humanitarian office says Israel has severely restricted aid operations since the start of its offensive in Jabalia, a densely populated urban refugee camp in northern Gaza. It said one critical mission, to rescue some 40 people trapped in the rubble in Jabalia, had been denied since Friday.

Elad Goren, a senior official with the Israeli military body that oversees civilian affairs in Gaza, said he was not aware of the request. He acknowledged disruptions in aid to the north in the first half of October but said they were related to the Jewish holidays and troop movements. He said people who were not evacuating Jabalia had enough assistance from previous months to get by. The UN estimates 60,000 people have fled to Gaza City since the start of the operation in Jabalia.

AP