Blinken says there is a “real chance” for a deal to release hostages following the killing of the Hamas leader

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was a “real opportunity” to reach a deal to release the remaining hostages still being held by the militant group in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv before flying to Saudi Arabia, Blinken said Israel had achieved a number of successes in the war against Hamas, including the deterioration of the group’s military capabilities. The top US diplomat said it remains to bring the hostages home and end the war.

Blinken said ending the war must be done in a way that keeps Hamas out of Gaza and ensures Israeli troops do not remain there.

Plans for a postwar Gaza, including issues such as governance, security, reconstruction and what the international community can do to help the Palestinians, will be the topic of Blinken’s talks with Arab partners in the coming days, he said.

A week after Blinken warned Israel in a letter to increase humanitarian aid reaching Gaza or risk losing access to U.S. military aid, he said on Wednesday that there had been progress, but that there must be more and that these must be maintained.

Blinken told reporters he issued a similar warning earlier this year, after which Israel quickly allowed an increase in aid, but it did not last. The threats are related to the legal obligation that U.S. humanitarian assistance not be hindered by a recipient of U.S. military aid.

Pressed on whether the new warning was an empty threat, Blinken said Wednesday: “I am committed to following the law. I will obey the law.”

Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials on Tuesday in his 11th visit to the region since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out more than a year ago.

Netanyahu and Blinken also discussed Israel’s ongoing fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.

The Israeli leader told Blinken a security and political change was needed in Lebanon that would allow displaced Israelis to safely return to their homes in northern Israel.

The meeting between Blinken and Netanyahu came six days after the killing of Sinwar and just over a week after the United States threatened to withhold some U.S. military aid without making progress on providing more aid to the Palestinians in Gaza , where the United Nations says a humanitarian crisis continues unabated.

With the U.S. presidential election still two weeks away, President Joe Biden called on Blinken to return to push for progress toward a ceasefire in the fighting in the Gaza Strip, following Israel’s killing of Sinwar, the architect of Hamas. Action from October 7, 2023, sees new hope. Terrorist attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages.

U.S. officials said Sinwar had been adamant in negotiating a ceasefire, but no new talks had begun since his assassination.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 42,600 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli counteroffensive in the Gaza Strip. According to Israel, several thousand Hamas fighters were among those killed.

The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and others have designated Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations.

On previous trips to the Middle East, Blinken tried to prevent the conflict from escalating into a regional war. But since last month, Israel has been striking across Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran.

Miller said Blinken again called for a “diplomatic solution” in Lebanon and compliance with the 2006 U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for the long-term disarmament of Hezbollah but also a withdrawal of Israeli forces from its northern neighbor.

Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.