TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the U.N. Security Council vote in favor of a U.S.-backed proposal for a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza makes “as clear as possible” that the world supports the plan, and again called on Hamas to accept it.
“Everyone’s vote has come, except for one vote, that of Hamas,” Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv after meeting with Israeli authorities. Blinken said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “reaffirmed his commitment to the proposal” during their meeting on Monday night.
Hamas welcomed Biden’s initial announcement of the plan and the U.N. resolution supporting it, but has not yet officially responded to the initiative. Blinken said Hamas’s response to the United Nations vote was “a hopeful sign,” but that mediators were still waiting to hear from the group’s leaders in Gaza.
“That’s what counts. And that’s what we still don’t have. And that’s why I say we’re waiting to see it. “Everyone has said yes, except for Hamas,” he said.
Separately, the United Nations human rights office said Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups may have committed war crimes during the deadly Israeli raid that freed four hostages over the weekend. At least 274 Palestinians were killed in the operation, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Blinken’s most recent visit to the region — his eighth since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war — focuses on drumming up support for a ceasefire proposal, increasing the influx of humanitarian aid and advancing plans. for the governance of Gaza.
The diplomat met privately with relatives of the hostages and with protesters gathered outside a hotel to demand a ceasefire agreement. He later traveled to Jordan. Blinken was in Cairo on Monday and was also scheduled to visit Qatar, which along with Egypt has been a key mediator with Hamas.
The proposal, announced last month by US President Joe Biden, calls for a three-phase plan in which Hamas would release the rest of the hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The group is still holding about 120 hostages, a third of whom are believed to have died.
Although Biden presented it as an Israeli initiative, Netanyahu has publicly questioned some aspects of the plan and said Israel will not end the war without destroying Hamas and recovering all the hostages.
Hamas welcomed the United Nations resolution and supports the general terms of the agreement, but has asked for guarantees that it will be implemented. The armed group supported a similar proposal last month that was rejected by Israel.
“Efforts continue to study and clarify some issues to ensure implementation by the Israeli side,” Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha said Tuesday. Israel “has not offered commitments or clear authorization for implementation that would lead to an end to the aggression,” he noted.
The United Nations Security Council voted overwhelmingly in favor of the proposal on Monday: 14 of 15 members voted in favor and Russia abstained. The resolution calls on Israel and Hamas “to fully implement its terms, without delay and without conditions.”
The proposal has raised hopes of ending an eight-month war that has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and driven 80% of its 2.3 million people from their homes. Israeli restrictions and continued fighting have complicated efforts to bring humanitarian aid to the isolated coastal enclave, fueling widespread hunger.
The war began when Hamas and other militants stormed Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages. About 100 hostages were freed last year during a week-long ceasefire in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
When he announced the new plan on May 31, Biden said it would begin with an initial six-week ceasefire and the release of some hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces would withdraw from populated areas and Palestinian civilians would be allowed to return to their homes.
Phase one also requires the safe distribution of humanitarian assistance “on a scale throughout the Gaza Strip,” which Biden said would bring 600 trucks of aid to the territory each day.
In the second phase, the resolution indicates that with the agreement of Israel and Hamas there will be “a permanent end to hostilities in exchange for the release of all other hostages still in Gaza and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.”
Phase three would begin “a major multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza and the return of the remains of any deceased hostages still in Gaza to their families.”
Netanyahu’s mixed signals seemed to reflect his political dilemma. His far-right coalition allies have rejected the proposal and are threatening to bring down the government if he ends the war without destroying Hamas. A lasting ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza would likely allow Hamas to retain control over the territory and rebuild its military capacity.
However, Netanyahu also faces enormous pressure to reach a deal to recover the hostages. Thousands of Israelis, including relatives of the hostages, have demonstrated in favor of the plan sponsored by Washington.
The transition from the first to the second phase seemed to be the issue in dispute. Hamas wants assurances that Israel will not resume the war, while Israel wants to ensure that the lengthy second-phase negotiations do not prolong the ceasefire indefinitely while the hostages remain captive.
Blinken said the proposal would amount to an immediate ceasefire and commit the two sides to negotiating a lasting one. “The ceasefire that would occur immediately would hold, something that is clearly good for everyone. And then we will see,” Blinken said.
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Sewell reported from Beirut.
