US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Tel Aviv to try to seal a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas after more than 10 months of war.
Blinken’s arrival happened after US and fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar said they were closing in on a deal after two days of talks in Doha, with American and Israeli officials expressing cautious optimism.
But Hamas, which didn’t participate directly in the talks, has signalled resistance to what it calls new demands by Israel.
The evolving proposal calls for a three-phase process in which Hamas would release all hostages abducted during its October 7 incursion into Israel.
In exchange, Israel would withdraw its forces from Gaza and release Palestinian prisoners.
But Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of sabotaging efforts to reach a ceasefire.
“Up until now, Hamas has been completely obstinate. It did not even send a representative to the talks in Doha. Therefore, the pressure needs to be directed at Hamas, not the government of Israel,” he said.
As Blinken touched down in Tel Aviv, Israeli authorities showed journalists its preparations for any attack in the northern port city of Haifa.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group has launched drones and rockets into Israel on a near-daily basis since the start of the war, and Israel has responded with airstrikes and artillery.
The violence has escalated, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes on both sides of the border.
“Israel is not in the best neighbourhood. We have been preparing for an attack and we are ready for anything. There are diplomatic attempts to de-escalate the situation, but we are ready for everything and anything on any front,” said Major David Avraham, the Head of the IDF International Press Department.
Meanwhile, at least one person was killed and another injured after a bomb exploded in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening, according to Israeli police.
“It has been confirmed as a bomb explosion,” a police spokesperson said.
That explosion happened as health officials in Gaza said 29 people had been killed in the strip overnight and into Sunday.
