Blinken: US to present new hostage-ceasefire proposal to Israel, Hamas ‘very soon’

Standing alongside his British counterpart David Lammy in London, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the two countries are “determined to end the conflict in Gaza as soon as possible.”

He says the US is working closely with Qatar and Egypt “to bridge any remaining gaps” as they craft a new formula for a deal.

“Very soon, we will put that before the parties and we will see what they say,” he says, as pessimism has spread among Israeli and US negotiators in recent days.

“More than 90% of the issues have been agreed, decided, so we’re down to a handful of issues — not even a handful of issues — that are hard but are fully resolvable,” says Blinken.

He notes the “strong interest that everyone in the region has” in a ceasefire, stressing that it is “clearly in Israel’s interest.”

Lammy says the 90% assessment is “completely correct,” and says it is now “in the hands of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar to get us over the line and to take that deal that is on the table.”

Lammy adds that “there can be no role for Hamas going forward,” while Blinken does not mention the defeat of Hamas.

Blinken also notes the threat Iran and its axis pose to Israel. “We are prepared to act together to help Israel defend itself in the future,” he says.