By Abiola Olawale
In a commendable development, the United States (US) Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted a “bridging proposal” to bring ceasefire in Gaza.
Blinken, in a press statement issued on Monday, revealed that Netanyahu accepted the proposal during a three-hour meeting, which he described as “fruitful”.
According to him, the Israeli Prime Minister has expressed his willingness to tackle disagreements blocking a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
The statement reads in part: “The Prime Minister reiterated Israel’s commitment to the latest American proposal regarding the release of our hostages, taking into account Israel’s security needs, which he insists on firmly.”
This is as Blinken said in Tel Aviv that now is “maybe the last chance” for a Gaza cease-fire deal as he embarks on his ninth urgent mission to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war began.
After meeting one-on-one with Prime Minister Netanyahu on Monday. Blinken also spoke to Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant
He is expected to travel to Egypt on Tuesday for meetings in the Mediterranean city of el-Alamein after he wraps up his Israel stop.
The current war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen stormed across the border into Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s military campaign has since levelled swathes of the Palestinian enclave, driving nearly all of its 2.3 million people from their homes, giving rise to deadly hunger and disease and killing at least 40,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
