Blinken: Gaza Hostage Deal Still Possible, But ‘Very Hard’ Issues Persist, According to Reuters

By Humeyra Pamuk and Jonathan Landay

TIRANA and WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Thursday that a potential agreement regarding the release of hostages held by Hamas is still feasible, although there are "very hard" issues yet to be addressed.

Recent discussions, which included intelligence leaders from the U.S., Egypt, Israel, and the Qatari prime minister, concluded without a resolution on Tuesday. These talks aimed to facilitate a pause in Israel’s ongoing four-month military operations in Gaza.

When asked if an agreement could be reached before the beginning of Ramadan on March 10, Blinken noted that Hamas’s earlier response included some "clear non-starters," but he remained hopeful about reaching a deal.

"We’re currently engaged with our counterparts from Qatar, Egypt, and Israel, working intensively towards finding an agreement. I believe that it is possible," Blinken mentioned at a news conference during his visit to Albania. He acknowledged that there are several significant challenges to overcome, emphasizing the commitment to progress in the negotiations.

Sources familiar with the discussions revealed that Israel rejected Hamas’s proposals concerning the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages. One source noted that the Israelis were dissatisfied with the proposed ratio of prisoners to hostages. Additionally, there were disagreements over the timing of a potential pause in fighting, with Hamas advocating for an earlier cessation, contrary to Israel’s preference for a later date.

CIA Director Bill Burns was in Israel on Thursday for further discussions, though the CIA declined to provide comments on the matter.

Blinken also urged for a thorough investigation into reports of the fatal shooting of a Palestinian American teenager in the occupied West Bank on February 10, marking the second instance of such violence in recent weeks.

When probed about the death of 17-year-old Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour, which followed the January 19 killing of another teenager, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, Blinken expressed his condolences but acknowledged that privacy laws limited what he could disclose about these cases.

"We’ve made it clear that there needs to be an investigation. We need to ascertain the facts, and if warranted, there should be accountability," he stated.

An NGO, Defense for Children International – Palestine, reported that it had collected evidence indicating that Israeli forces shot at a vehicle with Khdour inside. However, Reuters was unable to independently verify this claim.

An Israeli military spokesperson referred inquiries to the Shin Bet internal security agency, which has not yet responded.