Blinken calls on Hamas to accept Gaza cease-fire plan after UN Security Council strongly endorses it

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the U.N. Security Council’s vote in favor of a U.S.-backed proposal for a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release made it “as clear as it possibly could be” that the world supports the plan, as he again called on Hamas to accept it.

“Everyone’s vote is in, except for one vote, and that’s Hamas,” Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv after meeting with Israeli officials. He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reaffirmed his commitment to the proposal when they met late Monday.

Hamas welcomed Biden’s initial announcement of the plan as well as the U.N. resolution endorsing it but has yet to submit its official response. Blinken said Hamas’ response to the U.N. vote was a “hopeful sign,” but that mediators are still awaiting word from the group’s leaders in Gaza.

“That’s what counts. And that’s what we don’t have yet. And that’s why I say we’re waiting to see it. Everyone has said yes, except for Hamas,” he said.

In a separate development, the U.N. human rights office claims Israeli forces and Palestinian terrorists may have committed war crimes during the deadly Israeli raid that rescued four hostages over the weekend.

Blinken’s latest visit to the region — his eighth since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel ignited the war — is focused on rallying support for the cease-fire proposal, boosting the entry of humanitarian aid and advancing postwar plans for Gaza’s governance.

He met privately with families of the hostages as well as demonstrators outside a hotel calling for a cease-fire deal, and later traveled on to Jordan. Blinken was also expected to visit Qatar, which along with Egypt has served as a key mediator with Hamas. Blinken was in Cairo earlier on Monday.

The proposal, announced by U.S. President Joe Biden last month, calls for a three-phased plan in which Hamas would release the rest of the hostages in exchange for a lasting cease-fire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The group is still holding around 120 hostages, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Biden presented it as an Israeli proposal, but Netanyahu has publicly disputed key aspects of it, saying Israel won’t end the war without destroying Hamas and achieving the return of all the hostages.

Hamas supports the broad outline of the agreement but has demanded assurances it will be implemented. The militant group embraced a similar proposal last month that was rejected by Israel.

Conflicting signals from Netanayahu appear to reflect his political dilemma. His far-right coalition allies have rejected the proposal and have threatened to bring down his government if he ends the war without destroying Hamas. A lasting cease-fire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza would likely allow Hamas to retain control of the territory and rebuild its military capabilities.

But Netanyahu is also under mounting pressure to accept a deal to bring the hostages back. Thousands of Israelis, including families of the hostages, have demonstrated in favor of the U.S.-backed plan.