Tel Aviv, 19 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that Israel has accepted the latest US-backed proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, and it is now up to Hamas to agree to the plan.

The announcement came after Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for three hours on Monday in a last-ditch attempt to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza and a release of hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group and others.

After his meeting with Netanyahu, Blinken met with hostage families while hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside his Israeli hotel, calling for a hostage release.

Blinken's announcement comes hours before US President Joe Biden is expected to make a speech at the Monday opening of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, in which Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to be formally nominated as the Democratic candidate for president in the November election.

Photo: EPA