Hamas Urged To Accept 'Generous' Ceasefire Plan

The US secretary of state has said "the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire" is Hamas, in the run-up to what are considered to be last-chance talks to salvage a diplomatic solution before a threatened Israeli ground invasion in Rafah.

- Bethan McKernan

Speaking at a World Economic Forum meeting in Saudi Arabia yesterday, Antony Blinken said: "Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel.

"They have to decide and they have to decide quickly... I'm hopeful that they will make the right decision and we can have a fundamental change in the dynamic." The UK foreign secretary, David Cameron, told the same gathering that Hamas should accept the dealfor a "sustained 40 days' ceasefire", adding: "I hope Hamas do take this deal and, frankly, all the pressure in the world and all the eyes in the world should be on them today saying 'take that deal' accept the generosity of the offer of a ceasefire that has been negotiated with Israel."

International leaders have renewed efforts to broker a ceasefire in the nearly seven-month-old conflict in recent days. Israel's mounting preparations for a ground operation in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's 2.3-million population has sought shelter from fighting elsewhere, mean this week's talks in Cairo may be the last opportunity for negotiations to free Israeli hostages and pause or end the war.

A Hamas delegation, including the Palestinian militant group's deputy Gaza chief, Khalil al-Hayya, was expected in the Egyptian capital yesterday to respond to Israel's latest truce and hostage release proposal via Egyptian and Qatari mediators.

Blinken, on his seventh visit to the region since the war broke out, is expected to next visit Israel to discuss the negotiations.

Israel has not publicly confirmed whether it is also sending a delegation to Cairo.