Benjamin Netanyahu backs US ceasefire proposal for the first time

Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, says Israeli prime minister accepts that the deal meets ‘security needs’

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, has publicly backed a US plan for a ceasefire with Hamas.
The so-called “bridging proposal” includes conditions for the return of hostages but it is not clear whether it allows Israel to maintain control of the Philadelphi corridor, a buffer zone separating Gaza from Egypt.
Following a three-hour meeting on Monday with Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, Mr Netanyahu approved the latest US proposal for the first time, saying it had met Israel’s security needs.
Hamas has so far rejected the deal as it continues to push for stronger guarantees that Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza.
“The prime minister reiterated Israel’s commitment to the current American proposal on the release of our hostages, which takes into account Israel’s security needs, which he strongly insists on,” Mr Netanyahu’s office said.
The deal has been shared with both Hamas and Israel but has not been published.
Mr Blinken, who is on his ninth trip to the region since war broke out on Oct 7, hailed his meeting with Mr Netanyahu as “very constructive” after he confirmed Israel’s approval of the deal and called on Hamas “to do the same”.
He emphasised that the US is committed to “getting it done now” ahead of his trip to Cairo on Tuesday, where talks are expected to resume this week.
Mr Blinken struck a no-nonsense tone at his first meeting of the morning with Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president.
He said it was “a decisive moment; probably the best, maybe the last opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire, and to put everyone on a better path”.
However, as mediators worked to get the ceasefire agreement over the line, Hamas and its partner the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for an attempted suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.
Israeli reports suggest the bomber’s device, stored in a backpack, malfunctioned and exploded on a near-empty street. The attack on Sunday night killed only the bomber and injured one other person.
The near-tragedy underscored the huge risk of escalation as an Israeli official told The Telegraph that the ceasefire talks had reached a “critical” moment, with Israel understanding that “now is the time” to strike a deal.
However, the issue of the Philadelphi corridor, a strategically important strip of land along the Gaza-Egypt border, remains sensitive and is still the subject of negotiation with Hamas and Egypt, neither of which want an Israeli presence there.
The issue could still collapse the talks, according to some close to the negotiations.
A senior Israeli official told The Telegraph: “Netanyahu is looking for any excuse not to sign the deal. He understands that if there is a deal to stop the war, his government will fall.”
“The worst thing that could happen from his perspective is if Hamas suddenly agrees to the terms,” they added.
Hamas, which didn’t participate in the talks in Doha last week, held Mr Netanyahu responsible for “thwarting the mediators’ efforts and obstructing an agreement,” claiming that the prime minister  “sets new conditions and demands.”
Delegations from the US, Qatar, Egypt and Israel are scheduled to meet in Cairo this week to continue talks, but it’s unclear if Hamas will decide to join.
Polls in recent months have consistently shown that most Israelis favour a ceasefire deal with Hamas that would free the 115 remaining hostages. 
Both Mr Netanyahu and Hamas have been accused of deliberately torpedoing the talks, a claim both deny.