With Netanyahu standing firm, US to present new Gaza cease-fire proposal
The cease-fire negotiations gained renewed urgency following Hamas’ killing of six hostages, including an American citizen who was expected to be released in the cease-fire deal’s first stage.
WASHINGTON — As the United States works to formulate a new cease-fire proposal between Israel and Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doubling down on his insistence that Israel retain indefinite control of a strategic corridor in the Gaza Strip.
The United States, along with mediators Qatar and Egypt, has spent months hashing out a deal to end the war that began with Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel and has since killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Last month the United States put forward a so-called bridging proposal that Secretary of State Antony Blinken described as “probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity” to bring the remaining captives home and at least temporarily pause the fighting.
The United States could present both sides with a new proposal as soon as this week, which a diplomatic source close to the talks said differs mostly in its implementation details.
