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[Text/Observer Network Yan Shanshan] According to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press, on August 19 local time, US Secretary of State Blinken said after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that Israel has accepted the US "bridging proposal" for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and an exchange of detained persons.

Blinken urged the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) to accept the proposal as well, but did not specify whether the latest plan addressed the concerns raised by Hamas. According to the Israeli Times website on the 19th, he claimed earlier that day: "It's time for everyone to say 'yes' and not find any excuses to say 'no'."

The Hamas media office issued a statement on the 19th in response, saying that this was a trick of the United States. They modified the ceasefire agreement to favor Israel in an attempt to shift the pressure away from Israel and make Hamas bear the responsibility for the failure of the negotiations.

This is Blinken's ninth visit to the Middle East since the current round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict broke out in October last year. The Associated Press pointed out that in recent days, ceasefire negotiations have become more urgent, and diplomats hope to prevent Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah from launching retaliatory attacks on Israel through an agreement. The escalating tensions have raised concerns about regional risks spilling over and a more destructive regional war.

On the 19th local time, Blinken met with a number of Israeli officials in Tel Aviv, held talks with Netanyahu for two and a half hours, and also met with Israeli President Herzog and Israeli Defense Minister Galant.

After the meeting with Netanyahu, Blinken revealed that Israel had agreed to the latest ceasefire proposal. "In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel accepts the transitional proposal and that he supports it."

He added that Hamas also had a "responsibility" to do so, and that the parties would then need to complete the negotiation process, mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, to reach a clear consensus on how to implement the commitments in the agreement.

After meeting with the Israeli president earlier in the day, Blinken said that this effort might be the "best chance" or "last chance" to reach a ceasefire agreement. "It's time for everyone to say 'yes' and not find any excuses to say 'no'."

Although the United States has expressed optimism about a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Palestine and the Israeli Prime Minister's Office has called the talks positive, Israel and Hamas have said that any agreement will be difficult to reach.

For months, negotiations on a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine have been at a standstill. Israel insists that the war can only end if Hamas is destroyed, while Hamas says it will only accept a permanent, not a temporary, ceasefire.

The two sides have differences over Israel's military presence in the Gaza Strip, especially in the "Philadelphia Corridor" (a military buffer zone between the Gaza Strip and Egypt), the free movement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the identity and number of detainees to be exchanged, and other issues.

In response to the latest proposal, Hamas officials accused the United States of favoring Israel.

A senior Hamas official said: "When Blinken said Israel agreed, and then Israel said there was an updated proposal, it meant that the Americans were under pressure from Israel, not putting pressure on Israel. We believe this is a ploy to buy more time for Israel."

According to Al Jazeera, Hamas Political Bureau official Bassem Naim urged the world in a statement to put pressure on Netanyahu and the Israeli government to sign US President Biden's plan at the end of May on "permanent ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, reconstruction and prisoner exchange", which is a three-stage ceasefire agreement.

Naim said that Netanyahu put forward new negotiation conditions, including not withdrawing troops from the Rafah port and the "Philadelphia Corridor" and inspecting displaced people migrating from south to north.

Reuters pointed out that Blinken's visit to the Middle East comes at a time when US President Biden is facing increasing pressure in the election year for his position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the United States and the attitudes of Muslim and Arab voters in swing states have aroused concerns among the Democratic Party.

Blinken will also travel to Egypt and Qatar for a new round of negotiations on a ceasefire plan.

Egyptian security sources said that the progress of the new round of ceasefire talks in Cairo this week depends on whether an agreement can be reached on the security mechanism of the "Philadelphia Corridor". The source said that the US proposal to deploy international forces in the region is acceptable if the move does not exceed six months.

In Israel, the families of the detainees held another protest on the 19th, urging the Israeli government to reach an agreement to exchange the detainees as soon as possible. Some protesters in Tel Aviv held American flags and signs that read "Hey Biden, help us save them, they don't have time."

However, in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians are not hopeful about the effectiveness of Blinken's Middle East trip.

Hanan Abu Hamid, a displaced former Rafah resident, said: "They lied only to further destroy us. They killed us and our children, left us hungry and homeless. Blinken is useless and his visit will only hurt the Palestinian people."

Reuters pointed out that this round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has lasted for months, has put the entire Middle East in a state of tension. It has also triggered months of border conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and may lead to the escalation of a larger conflict.

On August 18, local time, a truck exploded in southern Tel Aviv, Israel. The Israeli emergency organization Red David Shield said the incident killed a 50-year-old man. According to the Israeli Times, the explosion also injured a passerby.

On the 19th local time, the Qassam Brigades, an armed faction of Hamas, claimed responsibility for the bomb attack on the 18th, and said that it had carried out the operation jointly with the Quds Brigades, an armed faction of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Organization (Jihad).

Israel said initial reports indicated the blast was a terrorist attack using a powerful explosive device and they were still trying to identify the attacker who detonated a suicide bomb. Israeli Hebrew media said the man was believed to be a Palestinian.

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