US must pressure Hamas to accept the deal, Gallant tells Blinken

The United States must pressure Hamas diplomatically to accept the hostage deal, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken when the two men met in Tel Aviv on Monday afternoon.

The Minister emphasized the importance of ongoing military pressure placed by Israel on Hamas, alongside the need for ongoing US political pressure on Hamas, until a framework is achieved that will enable the return of hostages to Israel,” his office said after the meeting.

Blinken is in Israel to advance a hostage deal with the hope of holding an end-game set of talks in Cairo at the end of the week.

Until the goals are achieved

Gallant said that the IDF was committed to operating in Gaza until the goals of the war in that enclave were achieved. 

This has included the destruction of Hamas and securing the release of the remaining 115 hostages in Gaza, the Defense Ministry said. They also spoke about the larger regional challenges, he added. This has included threats against Israel from Iran and its proxy group, Hezbollah, in Lebanon.

The two men met one-on-one and were then joined by IDF-Chief-if-Staff Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi. At the start of the meeting, Gallant showed Blinken a photo in his office of the 12 children who were killed by Hezbollah rocket in Majdal Shams late last month.