The Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, stated this Tuesday that all that remains is for Hamas to accept the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip so that the truce can be implemented.
“On Sunday, the United States, Qatar and Egypt presented a final proposal. The ball is now in Hamas’s court. If Hamas accepts the agreement, it is ready to be implemented,” Blinken declared in a speech at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington.
The head of US diplomacy was convinced that there will be a truce, although he could not specify whether the agreement will be closed before Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
Blinken recalled that US President Joe Biden proposed a plan in May to end the Israeli offensive on Gaza and free Hamas hostages, but both sides have delayed negotiations.
The Secretary of State assured that Hamas has played “a saboteur role” against the agreement in recent months, but thanks to the mediation in recent weeks it has been possible to reach “the verge of a total and definitive agreement.”
“I believe we will achieve a ceasefire, and whether we achieve it in the remaining days of our Administration or after January 20, I believe the agreement will follow the terms that President Biden proposed last May,” he said.
More context: Gaza ceasefire talks resume after ‘breakthrough’
Gaza truce agreement ‘closer than ever’
The US president’s multi-phase plan includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian enclave, the release of Hamas hostages, the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza.
During a subsequent conversation with the president of the Atlantic Council, Frederick Kempe, Blinken insisted that the agreement for a truce “is closer than ever.”
“As we sit here, we await the final word from Hamas on whether it accepts it, and until we have that answer, we remain on the brink of an agreement, which could come at any time,” he said.
“It could arrive in the next few hours. It could arrive in the next few days. That’s what we’re looking for. But what we have done in recent weeks and especially in recent days has put things in place, and the agreement is there,” he added.
With information from EFE.
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