The Gaza hostage deal may be on the verge of faltering, with no immediate substitute plan, according to a Wednesday Politico report citing two US and two Israeli officials.
According to the officials, the present deal includes clauses that fit the demands of both Israel and Hamas and, as such, constitutes the “strongest form” of a proposal.
However, given Hamas’s claims that it will not accept such a deal, one of the officials was cited by Politico as saying, “We don’t know if Sinwar wants this deal.
The official also reportedly noted the possible consequences of a lack of a deal, saying, “But if we don’t get the deal, there’s a chance that Iran attacks and this escalates into a full-blown confrontation.”
Blinken speaks of ‘fierce urgency’ to achieve a deal
The report comes amid US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the Middle East in a push to achieve a hostage deal. On Tuesday, he spoke in Qatar of the “fierce urgency” for a hostage deal, which he stated should be “done in the days ahead, and we will do everything possible to get it across the finish line.”
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the “bridging proposal” offered by the US to resolve the differences between Israel and Hamas regarding the three-phase hostage deal US President Joe Biden presented on May 31.
Hamas has claimed its commitment to the deal. However, it rejected the “bridging proposal,” claiming Israel affixed new clauses.
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.
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