US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge gaps in ceasefire negotiations and the next step is for Hamas to accept ahead of further negotiations expected to take place later this week.
“The next important statement is for Hamas to say yes, and then, in the coming days, for all of the expert negotiators to get together to work on clear understandings on implementing the agreement,” Blinken said at a press conference in Tel Aviv.
The announcement by Blinken and the Israeli prime minister’s office that Israel had agreed to the bridging proposal followed a three-hour meeting between the top US diplomat and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem earlier Monday.
Both sides described the meeting as constructive. Netanyahu committed to sending senior negotiators to “complete this process” in either Qatar or Egypt, Blinken said.
It is unclear what exactly is in the “bridging proposal.” It was put forward last week by the US, with the support of Qatar and Egypt, following two days of high-stakes talks in Doha.
