Blinken speaks with Netanyahu adviser about Gaza ceasefire talks

15 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Monday with Tzachi Hanegbi, national security adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, about negotiations to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a press conference that the meeting, held in Washington, was also attended by US Secretary of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.

“They talked about what some of the remaining sticking points are. As the president (of the United States, Joe Biden) announced last week, we have reached understandings, but there are still a number of issues to be resolved,” he added.

Miller also explained that they discussed “solutions” in order to minimize the differences between the parties. “They talked about the day after the conflict and how to establish governance and security in Gaza,” he added.

Miller added that the Secretary of State had raised “the need to resolve logistical issues that are preventing aid from being delivered” to those who need it in the Palestinian enclave. Another issue they discussed was the tensions between Israel and Lebanon on the border.

The plan presented by the United States is divided into three phases: the first involves the exchange of hostages for prisoners and a short-term ceasefire, while the second envisages a “permanent cessation of hostilities” and the complete withdrawal of Israeli military forces from Gaza. The third and final phase includes a reconstruction plan lasting several years.

Gaza authorities on Monday raised the death toll to more than 38,600 and more than 89,000 wounded as a result of the Israeli army’s offensive against the enclave following the attacks carried out on October 7 by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and other Palestinian factions, which left some 1,200 dead and nearly 240 kidnapped.