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
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz declared Monday that Israeli forces would remain in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza for an indefinite period, in a pointed statement that makes no reference to the US-Iran framework agreement announced the same day.
Authorities in southern Lebanon warned people displaced by three months of war between Israel and Hezbollah against rushing home on Monday despite a U.S.-Iran deal to end the wider conflict, as Israel said it would not withdraw troops from the south.
Let us call it what it is. The framework agreement on Iran is not a peace deal. It is a capitulation dressed up in diplomatic language, and its most immediate victims are the two countries that have paid the highest price in blood and treasure to confront Iran's aggression: Israel and Lebanon.
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