The Situation in Gaza: Between Blinken, Gantz, and Gallant

The U.S. State Department announced that Secretary Antony Blinken held separate phone calls with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister Benny Gantz, who joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a emergency coalition, to discuss the proposed ceasefire in Gaza. On the other hand, an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated today that Israel has accepted a framework agreement to gradually end the war in Gaza, which is currently being pushed by U.S. President Joe Biden, but described the agreement as flawed and needing more work. In an interview with the British newspaper Sunday Times, Ofir Falk, Netanyahu's chief foreign policy advisor, stated that Biden's proposal is "a deal we agreed to - it's not a good deal, but we strongly want to release all the hostages." He added, "There are many details that need to be worked on," noting that Israeli conditions, including "the release of hostages and the destruction of Hamas as a terrorist organization (committing) genocide," have not changed. Biden announced on Friday what he described as a three-phase plan proposed by Netanyahu's government to end the war. Biden's initial support for the Israeli attack has opened the door for public condemnation due to the high civilian death toll from the operation.