Foreign Affairs

Hamas Claims Responsibility For Attempted Suicide Bombing As Blinken Says Talks ‘Maybe The Last’ Chance For Ceasefire

[State Department photo by Freddie Everett/ Public Domain]

Hamas claimed responsibility on Monday for an attempted suicide bombing in a major Israeli city on Sunday as the U.S. warned that current talks are “maybe the last” chance to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza war.

Both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad were responsible for a bombing near a synagogue in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday night, in what Israeli intelligence described as a “terrorist attack,” according to The Times of Israel. The man carrying the bomb was killed and a passerby was injured in the explosion, police at the scene said.

Hamas said in a statement that “martyrdom operations” inside Israel would continue so long as the “occupation’s massacres and assassination policy continue,” seemingly referring to Israel’s months-long war against Hamas in Gaza, which Hamas started in October, according to Reuters.

The bombing is the latest action by Hamas against Israel in the ongoing war, which the U.S. and international community have spent months trying to end through a ceasefire agreement. Talks have proven difficult as neither Israel nor Hamas has been able to agree on the terms for a deal.

Mediators from the U.S. and Israel, alongside other Arab partners, met in Qatar for negotiations last week, though representatives for Hamas were not present. Talks are expected to continue in Egypt this week.

However, Hamas rejected the current proposal on Sunday, casting blame on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for “putting obstacles in the way of reaching an agreement” and “is setting new conditions and demands with the aim of undermining the mediators’ efforts and prolonging the war,” according to Axios. The U.S. proposal “aligns” with Netanyahu’s demand, Hamas said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli officials and  Netanyahu in Israel on Monday in what he called a “decisive moment” in the negotiations process.

It is “probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity” to secure a ceasefire deal, Blinken said at a press conference on Monday.

Blinken echoed President Joe Biden’s comments on Friday, when he told reporters from the White House that “we are closer than we have ever been” to reaching a deal, adding that “we’re not there yet.” Netanyahu’s office said Monday that Israel was “committed” to the current proposal — presented by Biden months ago — “which takes into account Israel’s security needs.”

“It is time for it to get done,” Blinken said at the conference on Monday. “It is time for everyone to get to yes and to not look for any excuses to say no.”