GAZA STRIP: Hopes were dwindling on Thursday for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where fighting raged despite US pressure on Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement.
After more than 10 months of war, officials from the United States and mediators Egypt and Qatar had been set to meet in Cairo for a new round of negotiations this week, but confirmation was still pending.
The war triggered by October 7 attack on Israel has devastated Gaza, displaced nearly all its population at least once and triggered a humanitarian crisis in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Diplomatic efforts have intensified to try to avert a wider war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday headed home from his latest tour of the Middle East, aimed at finalising a ceasefire, without a breakthrough.
In a phone call later, President Joe Biden pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a deal, stressing "the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure", the White House said.
It added that Biden also reassured Netanyahu of the efforts of the United States — Israel's main ally and weapons supplier — to support it against any threats.
Blinken on Thursday spoke with Qatari Emir, Shaikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, after the two were unable to meet during the US top diplomat's brief stop in Doha earlier this week.
They discussed the latest push towards a truce and "affirmed that no party in the region should take actions to undermine efforts to reach a deal", the State Department said.
A main sticking point remains Hamas's long-standing demand for a "complete" Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Netanyahu, whose hard-right coalition relies of the support of members opposed to a truce, said Israel insists on keeping forces on the Palestinian territory's border with Egypt.
Israel "securing the southern border" of Gaza was crucial for achieving the war's objectives, his office said late on Wednesday, rejecting as "incorrect" media reports that "Netanyahu has agreed that Israel will withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor".
During his regional tour, Blinken said Netanyahu had accepted a US "bridging proposal" for a truce that "is very clear on the schedule and the locations" of the Israeli withdrawal.
Without mentioning Philadelphi directly, Blinken also said that Washington "does not accept any long-term occupation of Gaza by Israel".
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, citing "officials knowledgeable about the negotiations", reported that "the Americans understood the mistake" Blinken had made in his remarks about Netanyahu accepting the proposal.
The daily said "the chances for a deal are slim" but attempts were being made to organise talks in Cairo on Friday and Saturday, with US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk already sent there.
Hamas on Sunday said the US proposal "responds to Netanyahu's conditions" and accused him of "obstructing an agreement".
Some analysts and critics in Israel have also accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war. SEE ALSO P3
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