Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken delivered twin messages to Hamas and Israel on Wednesday, pressing Hamas to accept a cease-fire proposal while at the same time urging Israeli leaders to put off a major ground invasion into Rafah. The proposed agreement calls for the release of 33 hostages in the initial stage of a cease-fire, and would lead to the release of Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel. Mr. Blinken’s visit to the Middle East, which began on Monday, came as Israel is both softening some of its demands in negotiations over a cease-fire and digging in on its vow to move into Rafah “with or without a deal,” as Mr. Netanyahu put it earlier this week.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/01/world/middleeast/blinken-hamas-israel-gaza-cease-fire.html
