Defense &
National Security

The big story

Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the announcement while in Israel to get a ceasefire and the release of the hostages across the finish line.

© AP

Blinken made an urgent effort to reach a deal quickly at a press conference in Israel after meeting with the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

After Israel announced that it had accepted a bridging proposal offered through high-stakes negotiations in Doha Last week, Blinken said it is “now Hamas’ responsibility to do the same.”

“The next important step is for Hamas to say ‘yes,’” he said, “and for all expert negotiators to meet in the coming days to work on clear agreements on the implementation of the agreement.”

Hamas has issued statements on pro-Iranian Telegram channels saying that Israel withdrawn of previous proposals and that the demands for a withdrawal from Gaza have not been met.

After the meeting with Blinken, Netanyahu praised in a video address “the understanding the United States has shown for our vital security interests as part of our joint efforts to secure the release of our hostages.”

The US has spent weeks trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release deal that Washington says is as close to completion as it has ever been. The next round of talks is scheduled for this week in Cairo.

However, some sticking points remain, including the details of an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza-Egypt border and the movement of armed Palestinians to the north of the Strip.

The deal includes three phasesstarting with an initial exchange of hostages and prisoners and a temporary ceasefire, then a permanent ceasefire for the return of all hostages, and a final phase for the transfer of remains and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Blinken, who is next to Egypt And Qatar, said earlier in the day that this may be the “last” chance to close a deal.

He made it clear that the US was not giving up, but that more hostages could die or tensions could escalate quickly. He made these comments as Iran threatens to retaliate against Israel for the death of the Hamas supreme leader in Tehran last month.

“The longer this goes on,” Blinken added, “the more hostages will suffer, potentially die, and the more other things will happen that could make anything impossible.”

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense and national security newsletter, I’m Brad Dress — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill, and beyond.

Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Subscribe here.

Essential reading

How the policy will impact defense and national security now and in the future
the future:

John Kelly opposes Trump comments on civilian and military awards: ‘Absolutely not’

Whatley defends Trump against criticism over Medal of Honor comments

Duckworth says Trump ‘despicable’ over Medal of Honor comments

US-backed mission in Haiti struggles to tackle gang violence

On our radar

What we’ll be watching on our beat soon:

In other news

Discover another story from The Hill:

Trump hack raises questions about campaign obligations to report election interference

The Trump campaign’s apparent failure to report the alleged hacking of its email system to law enforcement has revived questions about the campaign’s obligations to alert authorities to potential election interference. The FBI now says it is investigating the matter, but questions remain about how or …

On tap tomorrow

Events in and around the defense world:

What we read

News we reported from other sources:

Popular today

Two major stories on The Hill right now:

George Santos pleads guilty to 2 counts of fraud

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) pleaded guilty Monday to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, avoiding criminal charges … Read more

McCarthy-Gaetz feud reaches climax in Florida primary

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) faces a challenge in the primary on Tuesday, as former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and his allies seek revenge on Republicans… Read more