US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell on Tuesday that the US remains hopeful that Hamas “can and will” resume negotiations on hostage releases even after the targeted killing of one of its leaders and two Hezbollah commanders in Lebanon.
“As you know, we succeeded before in the midst of this conflict and getting more than 100 hostages out,” Blinken said in an interview from Israel, where he is currently visiting.
“And it’s my belief that they can and will engage on this. And that’s something we’re intensely focused on with Qatar and with Egypt,” he added.
Blinken’s comments come amid reports that Israel and Hamas have resumed indirect negotiations, through Egyptian and Qatari mediation, on a new hostage release deal.
This past weekend, the families of six hostages were in Qatar as part of the efforts to relaunch the indirect negotiations.
During that meeting, according to a report in Axios, the Qatari Prime Minister and other officials told the family members that the killing of senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut has made efforts to secure a new deal much more difficult.
Qatar, together with Egypt, mediated the first hostage release deal in November.
Last week, it was reported that Hamas forwarded to Israel, through the Egyptian and Qatari mediators, a proposal for the release of hostages which includes an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Israel rejected the proposal.
A day later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with families of the hostages held in Gaza by the Hamas terrorist organization.
"The effort [to return the hostages] continues, the contacts are taking place, they have not been cut off," Netanyahu assured them, adding, "There was an ultimatum from Hamas, now it has softened a bit."