Monday brought word of a horrifying discovery by Israel–the recovery, in a terrorist tunnel in Gaza, of the bodies of six Israelis whom Hamas took hostage during the Oct. 6 massacre. My colleague Margaret Clark shared the heartbreaking story earlier.
HEARTBREAKING: IDF Recovers Bodies of Six Hostages Executed by Hamas
There was a later story, somewhat more hopeful in nature, about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and the concept of a ceasefire that Israel can live with. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broke bread in Israel on what could come next on that front.
via the AP:
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge differences holding up a cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza, and he called on Hamas to do the same, without saying whether concerns cited by the militant group had been addressed.
….
Blinken spoke after holding a 2 1/2 hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day, and will travel to Egypt and Qatar for further negotiations. The three mediators have spent months trying to end the war in Gaza, with the talks repeatedly stalling.
Blinken went on to call the meeting with the Israeli leader “constructive,” adding that Netanyahu “confirmed to [him] that Israel supports the bridging proposal…. the next important step is for Hamas to say ‘yes.’”
The AP notes that no details were released on what this “bridging” proposal might include. In recent days, the Hamas terror group evinced disappointment that the U.S. is being so chummy with Israel. Anyway, here’s what Blinken said:
See it for yourself.
US @SecBlinken clarifies that Israel has accepted the bridging proposal for a hostage deal and a ceasefire.
“It is now incumbent on Hamas to do the same,” he added. pic.twitter.com/Pl0ImW9VTL
— Oren Marmorstein (@OrenMarmorstein) August 19, 2024
For Netanyahu’s part, he also called the meeting “good and important”:
Netanyahu said that he had a “good and important meeting” with Blinken and appreciated the “understanding that the United States has shown to our vital security interests, along with our shared efforts to release our hostages.” He added that efforts are being made to release the maximum number of hostages in the first stage of a the [sic] cease-fire deal.
Where’s Hamas on this agreement to work toward a ceasefire? Hamas just sent a letter to Hezbollah on their actual next step–destroying Israel:
Biden-Harris officials have been delaying Israeli action vs. Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, etc. by entangling the Israelis in ceasefire talks. Their latest stunt was to send Blinken to the region to pressure Israel on a bridging proposal. The Israelis said OK.
Then Blinken publicly… pic.twitter.com/ElJDMpNwuI
— Omri Ceren (@omriceren) August 20, 2024
The rest of the post reads:
Then Blinken publicly urged Hamas to accept it.
Then Hamas published a letter to Hezbollah saying they’re winning and it’s time to eradicate Israel.
Meanwhile, our ally is beset on all sides. This was reported just hours ago:
𝟓𝟓 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐋𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.
We hold the Lebanese government responsible for every rocket or drone fired from its territory.
We will not… pic.twitter.com/G2JTVdcBKc
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) August 20, 2024
We’ll keep you posted.
