Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 19, 2024
From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 19, 2024
Meeting Herzog, Blinken says ongoing talks ‘maybe the last’ chance for hostage deal
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Israel on August 18, 2024. (Kevin MOHATT / POOL / AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, visiting Israel to push for a truce-hostage deal in the Israel-Hamas war, says ongoing negotiations were “maybe the last” chance to reach an agreement to end the war.
“This is a decisive moment — probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire, and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security,” Blinken says as he meets President Isaac Herzog on his ninth trip to the region since the war broke out in October.
The top US diplomat says he is also working to ensure that there is no regional escalation amid concerns over a possible attack by Iran on Israel following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.
