- Blinken met with moderate members of Israel's War Cabinet on Thursday as negotiations over the release of hostages continue after Netanyahu sharply criticized Hamas's latest offer
Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed ways to secure the release of Gaza hostages with moderates in Israel's War Cabinet on Thursday, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Hamas' demands as “delusion.”
Blinken met in Tel Aviv with Benny Gantz and Gabi Eisenkot, two former military chiefs who joined Netanyahu's war cabinet after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants in Israel.
The talks will focus on “the hostages and the strong desire we both have for them to be returned to their families and the work being done to that end,” Blinken said as they opened the meeting.
“The most pressing issue, of course, is finding ways to bring the hostages back,” Gantz told Blinken.
“If we succeed, a lot can be achieved,” he said.
Earlier, Netanyahu called the terrorists' demands “bizarre” and said that agreeing to them “would only lead to another massacre” when they were “just a finger away from a decisive victory.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with former Israeli Army Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and former Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Thursday morning
Blinken and Netanyahu a day earlier, the Israeli prime minister said the only hope for peace was a “total victory.”
But in a sign that they are still open to negotiations, he added that his officials have not “really committed to anything” when it comes to the details of a deal.
Hamas had presented the most detailed plan to date for an agreement that would release all hostages in exchange for 1,500 Palestinian prisoners and an end to the war.
Three 45-day phases of release were proposed, initially all women, male civilians under 19, the elderly and the sick in exchange for some of the Palestinian prisoners.
The IDF would then have to withdraw from populated areas and cease air operations before the male soldiers were released in exchange for other convicts.
Blinken toured the Middle East on his fifth visit since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, delivering to Israel via Qatar a Hamas response to a hostage situation.
But Blinken said he still sees room for negotiations to improve the deal and secure the release of the hostages.
Israel has made destroying Hamas's government and military capabilities one of its war aims, and Hamas's proposal would effectively leave it in power in Gaza and allow it to rebuild its military capabilities.
Blinken downplayed the posturing, saying it was part of the arduous negotiation process. “It's not about flipping a light switch.” “It's not yes or no,” he said.
Blinken downplayed Netanyahu's comments, saying the entire process was “not a flip of a light switch.”
Blinken is trying to advance ceasefire talks while pushing for a broader postwar settlement in which Saudi Arabia would normalize relations with Israel in return for a “clear, credible and time-bound path to the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
But the increasingly unpopular Netanyahu opposes Palestinian statehood, and his restrictive ruling coalition could collapse if he is seen to be making too many concessions.
“While there are some clear non-starters in Hamas's response, we believe it creates room for agreement and we will work tirelessly until we get there,” he said.
The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
In response, Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas and launched airstrikes and a ground offensive that killed at least 27,708 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry.
On October 7, militants also captured around 250 hostages. According to Israel, 132 are still in Gaza, of whom 29 are believed to have died.