The latest rescuing four hostages It will likely make Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s job difficult efforts to broker a new ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas would do it Ensure the release of prisoners remaining in GazaA senior administration official told NBC News.
The release of the hostages has strengthened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s determination to continue hostilities rather than agree to a ceasefire, the official told NBC News. Despite intense pressure from Qatar and Egypt for a deal, Hamas military leader Yahya Sinwar may take a tougher line due to the high number of civilian Palestinian casualties caused by the Israeli rescue operation.
A senior official said some of the civilian victims were killed by Hamas fighters who responded to the Israeli operation. Second official Hamas is responsible for the death of Palestinians by hiding hostages in densely populated areas.
He added that while the release of the four Israeli hostages was good news, it was not going to change the status quo because there were still a significant number of hostages, including five Americans believed to be alive.
There are also three American hostages who were killed, whose families are demanding the return of their remains.
Another challenge to diplomatic efforts is Sunday The resignation of a centrist member of Israel’s military cabinetretired general Benny Gantz.
In his resignation, Gantz accused Netanyahu of mismanaging the war and refusing to agree on what will happen to Gaza after the hostilities end. Biden the administration had tried to persuade Gantz not to leave because his absence would strengthen ties with far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition.
When he returns to the region on Monday – his eighth since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 – aides say Blinken will also focus on desperation. needed Get more aid to Gaza. Israel closed access to the Rafah crossing before launching a new round of military operations there on May 6, making aid deliveries extremely dangerous.
Egypt, Israel’s oldest Arab ally, also objects to Israeli military operations in the border region known as the Philadelphia Corridor between the two countries. All of this will be part of Blinken’s agenda when he meets with Egyptian President al-Sisi on Monday before he leaves for Israel.
For the past six months, the secretary of state has been working hard on the day ahead of Israel’s plan to withdraw from Gaza and hand over security to a reformed Palestinian Authority, while Arab leaders have pledged to help finance Gaza’s future. reconstruction of the war.
But with both sides digging in against the cease-fire deal and outcry over the horrific death toll from this weekend’s Israeli-Hamas firefight, the chances of an agreement coming soon may dwindle.