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Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Monday that recent diplomatic negotiations in Qatar had created one of the best chances for reaching a cease-fire in Gaza and securing the release of hostages after months without progress.
“This is a decisive moment,” Mr. Blinken said as he met with President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv. “Probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a cease-fire, and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security.’’
“It is time for everyone to get to yes and to not look for any excuses to say no,” he said.
Mr. Blinken will travel to Jerusalem later on Monday and hold talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Mr. Blinken’s trip to Israel — his ninth visit to the region since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October — came days after negotiators held cease-fire talks in Qatar. Though negotiators there did not reach a deal, they were described as having moved closer to an agreement.
The talks have taken on added importance, given regional tensions involving Israel, Iran and one of its allies, the Hezbollah militants based in Lebanon. Both Iran and Hezbollah have threatened to strike Israel over the assassinations of militant leaders in Lebanon and Tehran, raising the prospect of a much broader conflict.
Diplomats hope that if the fighting is brought to a halt in Gaza, it might tamp down tensions overall. Senior negotiators were hoping to resume the cease-fire talks in Egypt by the end of the week. Mr. Blinken was to head there after his visit to Israel.
On Friday, Biden administration officials suggested that the talks might now be in the “end game,” but Mr. Netanyahu struck a more cautious tone on Sunday. The negotiations, he said, are “very complex.”
Since Oct. 7, when Hamas-led militants poured across the border from the Gaza Strip, killing about 1,200 people and seizing hostages, the United States has given Israel its near unstinting support, both military and diplomatic.
But as the humanitarian crisis has grown in Gaza, where health officials say some 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, so have tensions between Israel and the United States, its closest ally. The Biden administration has redoubled its efforts to persuade the Netanyahu government to agree to a deal.
Isabel Kershner contributed reporting.
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