A potential ceasefire and hostage release agreement "is now within reach," US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield informed the Security Council on Thursday, according to Reuters.
She urged members of the Security Council to push Hamas to agree to a compromise proposal that Israel has already accepted.
Thomas-Greenfield mentioned that a compromise proposal, introduced last week by the US, Qatar, and Egypt, aligns with a plan proposed by President Joe Biden in May and endorsed by the Security Council in June.
"Israel has accepted the bridging proposal. Now Hamas must do the same," she stated to the council. "As members of this council, we must speak with one voice, and we must use our leverage to press Hamas to accept the bridging proposal."
Sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters that disagreements over Israel's future military presence in Gaza and the release of terrorist prisoners are hindering a deal.
"It's a decisive moment for ceasefire talks and for the region, and so every member of this council should continue to send strong messages to other actors in the region to avoid actions that would move us away from finalizing this deal," said Thomas-Greenfield on Thursday.
"There's very real danger of regional escalation," she warned. "So let us do everything in our power to get this ceasefire and hostage release deal over the finish line now."
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a statement to the media after the meeting, Blinken said that Netanyahu told him that he accepts the ceasefire deal proposed by the US last week and that they are now waiting to hear that Hamas has done the same.
"There is a real sense of urgency in the region to get the deal to the finish line and the US is deeply committed to getting the deal done now," he said.
Hamas senior official Osama Hamdan later criticized Blinken's statement, saying it "raises many ambiguities" because it is "not what was presented to us nor what we agreed on."
He added that Hamas has already confirmed to mediators that "we don't need new Gaza ceasefire negotiations, we need to agree on an implementation mechanism."
On Sunday, Hamas officially announced that it is rejecting the proposal for an agreement for the release of hostages and a ceasefire as presented at the summit in Doha, Qatar.
"The proposal completely meets Netanyahu's conditions and especially his refusal to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and his insistence on continuing to occupy the Netzarim axis, the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphi Corridor. It also adds new conditions regarding the exchange of prisoners, and a withdrawal of the Israeli position in other sections, which prevents the success of the deal," Hamas said.
The terrorist organization also stated that "Hamas places full responsibility on Netanyahu for the failure of the efforts of the mediators, and the failure to reach an agreement, as well as the full responsibility for the lives of the hostages, who face the same dangers that the Palestinians face due to the war."
Hamas demanded a complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Philadelphi Corridor and a minimal release of living hostages.