Gaza ceasefire negotiations in ‘final stage’, Blinken says

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza Negotiations to end the Israel-Gaza war have entered the “final stage”, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday. The US, Egypt and Qatar have led talks aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza and enabling the release of hostages held by Hamas . “President [Joe] Biden spoke today to President [Abdel Fattah] El Sisi of Egypt and to Emir [Sheikh] Tamim of Qatar,” Mr Blinken said. “As the leaders discussed, the negotiations have now reached a final stage and they agreed on the urgency of bringing this process to closure. "It's critical that all parties work to finalise an agreement as soon as possible.” The region has been on high alert in recent days after strikes in Lebanon and Iran that killed senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr and the head of Hamas’s political wing, Ismail Haniyeh . Israel has claimed the assassination of Mr Shukr but has neither confirmed nor denied the killing of Mr Haniyeh. Regardless, Iran blames Israel for the Hamas leader's death in Tehran and has vowed to retaliate. Mr Blinken said that despite the increased tension, “work has continued” on a possible ceasefire deal. He has held phone calls with regional ministers to try to prevent a wider conflict from unfolding. “We continue to work intensively to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East and prevent the spread of conflict,” Mr Blinken said. He said that “this is the decisive moment” for the region. On Tuesday, Hamas appointed Yahya Sinwar to replace Mr Haniyeh as its political head. Mr Sinwar is believed to be the mastermind behind the October 7 attack that sparked the war in Gaza. “He has been and remains the primary decider when it comes to concluding the ceasefire,” Mr Blinken said. “So I think this certainly underscores the fact that it is really on him to decide whether to move forward with a ceasefire that manifestly will help so many Palestinians in desperate need – women, children, men who are caught in the crossfire.” More than 39,600 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military operation in Gaza, according to local health authorities. It began after the October 7, Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials. The US military has strengthened its stance in the region before a possible Iranian attack on Israel after the two assassinations. “We've adjusted our military posture to strengthen our force protection to reinforce our ironclad commitment to the defence of Israel and to remain prepared to respond to any contingency to maintain our carrier strike group presence in the Middle East,” Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said. "We are ready to deploy more forces in the Middle East if we see any threat to our interests and the security of our allies."

Gaza ceasefire negotiations in ‘final stage’, Blinken says

US Secretary of State says 'this is the decisive moment' for region