US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirmed on Wednesday that concluding a truce in the Gaza Strip, for which indirect negotiations are taking place between Israel and Hamas in Qatar, remains “very close.”

Blinken said during a press conference with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris: “In the Middle East, we are very close to a ceasefire and an agreement on the hostages,” according to Agence France-Presse.

"Pressure on Hamas"

It is noteworthy that the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday that the truce talks in Gaza are continuing at the technical level, and that delegations are meeting in Cairo and Doha on an ongoing basis.

Then later, Israel leveled new accusations against Hamas, regarding the failure to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Palestinian Strip.

A senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official held Hamas responsible. Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eden Bar-Tal, said yesterday that the only way to conclude an agreement is to put pressure on the movement.

He also considered that “the key to reaching an agreement lies in the hands of countries that have influence over Hamas,” according to Reuters.

In addition, he stressed that Israel is fully committed to concluding an agreement regarding the prisoners, considering that the only obstacle to their release is Hamas.

List of 34 prisoners

These accusations came after a Hamas official revealed last Sunday that the movement had agreed to a list of 34 prisoners submitted by Israel to be exchanged as part of a possible ceasefire agreement in the devastated Palestinian Strip.

He also recalled that any agreement is conditional on an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire.

Rejected position

However, these two conditions were rejected by the Israeli side over the past months and dozens of rounds of talks sponsored by Egypt and Qatar, as well as the United States.

Efforts to reach a truce between Israel and Hamas and return the Israelis detained in Gaza since October 7, 2023 resumed during the past weeks before US President-elect Donald Trump took office on January 20