United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared this Thursday (16) that he is confident that the ceasefire agreement for the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas will begin on Sunday (19), as expected, “despite a last minute failure”.
Blinken, during his last press conference as a US diplomat, stated that he was in contact with Brett McGurk, American negotiator, and Qatari authorities earlier this Thursday (16) to resolve the issue.
“It is not surprising that in a process and negotiation that has been so challenging and tense, there is a loose end. We are tying up this loose end”, he highlighted.
The Israeli government cabinet is expected to meet this Friday (17) to vote on the ceasefire and hostage release agreement for the Gaza Strip, according to an Israeli official.
The meeting will take place a day later than it was initially scheduled to take place, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said last-minute obstacles were still being resolved in the negotiations in Doha.
This Thursday (16), after the postponement of the meeting in Israel, a Hamas official stated that the group is committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by the mediators.
Understand the conflict in the Gaza Strip
Israel has carried out intense airstrikes in the Gaza Strip since 2023, after Hamas invaded the country and killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli counts. In addition, the group holds dozens of hostages.
Hamas does not recognize Israel as a state and claims Israeli territory for Palestine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly promised to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and recover people detained in Gaza.
In addition to the air offensive, the Israeli Army carries out land incursions into Palestinian territory. This caused much of Gaza’s population to be displaced.
The UN and several humanitarian institutions have warned of a catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, with a lack of food, medicine and the spread of diseases.
*with information from Reuters
This content was originally published in Blinken says “loose end” in the Gaza deal is being resolved on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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