U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday it was up to Hamas to agree to a cease-fire.
Antony Blinken © Mena Today
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday it was up to Hamas to agree to a ceasefire that would allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and pave the way for talks on an "enduring resolution" to the conflict.
The Palestinian militant group left talks in Cairo aimed at reaching an agreement to pause fighting ahead of Ramadan, amid fears violence could escalate during the Muslim fasting month.
Israel and Hamas blamed each other for the lack of agreement on a deal that would require Hamas to free some of the hostages it still holds in exchange for a 40-day truce. Palestinian prisoners held in Israel would also be released.
Blinken, ahead of a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, said Washington was still pushing for a ceasefire.
"The issue is Hamas. The issue is whether Hamas will decide or not to have a ceasefire that would benefit everyone," Blinken said.
"The ball is in their court. We're working intensely on it, and we'll see what they do."
Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis in Washington
Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a key ally of Hezbollah, on Monday slammed a U.S.-brokered agreement between Lebanon and Israel, warning it could lead to attempts to divide Lebanese and said it would not be implemented.
The Israeli military has destroyed underground infrastructure used by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in a village in southern Lebanon, according to a joint statement by the Israeli prime minister and defense minister on Sunday.
The framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, reached under the stewardship of President Joseph Aoun in close coordination with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, is not merely another diplomatic development to be debated, parsed and ultimately shelved.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.