US secretary of state says Gaza cease-fire talks ‘maybe last’ chance to end war

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the ongoing Gaza cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas may be the last opportunity to end the war.

The top US diplomat arrived in Israel Sunday evening to advance efforts to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap deal with Hamas. He is also expected to meet high-level Israeli officials.

"This is a decisive moment—probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a cease-fire, and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security," Blinked said during his meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, according to The Times of Israel daily.

Blinken is also expected to visit Egypt on Tuesday as part of his ninth regional tour, according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

Late Sunday, the Israeli news website Walla cited unnamed political sources as saying: "The Israeli security Cabinet recently instructed the military to intensify its operations in Gaza to strengthen Israel's position in the negotiations."

Condemning this move, Hamas described it as "a renewed persistence in Israel's fascist approach against the Palestinians in Gaza" and an "insistence on brutal behavior targeting defenseless civilians."

Cease-fire talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, concluded on Friday by presenting "a proposal that narrows the gaps" between Israel and Hamas that is consistent with the principles set out by US President Joe Biden on May 31.

Biden said in May that Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange, and the reconstruction of Gaza.

For months, the US, Qatar, and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Netanyahu's refusal to meet Hamas' demands to stop the war.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

The Israeli onslaught has since killed nearly 40,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 92,600, according to local health authorities.

More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.