Top US diplomat Antony Blinken said on Monday that Israel had accepted a US “bridge proposal” for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and was pressuring Hamas to do the same, saying earlier that the talks could be the “last opportunity” for a ceasefire.

Blinken, who is on his ninth visit to the Middle East since the start of the Gaza war, said he had “a very constructive meeting” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who “confirmed that Israel supports the bridging proposal.”

“He supports it. Now it is Hamas’s duty to do the same,” Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv.

Washington presented its proposal last week after the latest round of talks in Qatar.

In the run-up to these talks, Hamas called on the mediators to implement a framework outlined by US President Joe Biden in late May rather than conducting further negotiations.

The movement said on Sunday that the bridging proposal was “a response to Netanyahu’s conditions” and made him “fully responsible for thwarting the mediators’ efforts.”

Blinken said Netanyahu had committed to “sending his high-level team of experts” to further negotiations, “but we expect Hamas first and foremost to support the bridge proposal,” which he said included May’s framework.

Earlier on Monday, the US Secretary of State said: “This is a critical moment – probably the best, perhaps the last opportunity to bring the hostages home, achieve a ceasefire and put everyone on a better path to lasting peace and security.”

Months of negotiations with US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators have failed to reach an agreement.

Blinken is traveling to Egypt on Tuesday, where ceasefire talks are expected to resume this week. He said he would then travel to Qatar.

Israel and Hamas blame each other for the delay in working out a ceasefire agreement that diplomats say could help avert a larger conflict in the Middle East.

“We are working to ensure that there is no escalation,” Blinken said.

Biden said on Sunday that a ceasefire was “still possible” and that the United States would “not give up.”

The Biden administration is under domestic pressure over Gaza. During Blinken’s visit to Israel, pro-Palestinian protests took place outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago ahead of the November presidential election.

Bomb attack on Tel Aviv

Late Sunday, a few hours after Blinken landed in the city, a rare bomb attack occurred in Tel Aviv.

The armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another militant group, later claimed responsibility for the explosion and threatened to carry out further such attacks.

One person – according to Israeli media the attacker – was killed and another injured.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said the bombing could have been more serious, but the attacker detonated the bombs before he could reach a more densely populated area.

At this point, Israel and Hamas blamed each other for the delays in reaching a ceasefire agreement.

Hamas insisted on “a permanent ceasefire and a comprehensive (Israeli) withdrawal from the Gaza Strip” and said Netanyahu wanted to keep Israeli forces at several strategic locations within the area.

Western ally Jordan, captured supporters who protested during Blinken’s visit to Tel Aviv and Hamas itself called for pressure on Netanyahu to reach an agreement.

On Sunday, Netanyahu said Hamas was “still stubborn” and needed to be put under pressure. A day earlier, his office said Israeli negotiators had expressed “cautious optimism” about reaching an agreement.

Mediators from the United States, Qatar and Egypt also reported progress.

Far-right members who play a central role in the prime minister’s governing coalition are against any ceasefire.

According to the Palestinian enclave’s health ministry, at least 40,139 people have been killed in Israel’s war against Gaza.

An attack on southern Israel on October 7 left 1,198 people dead, according to a AFP Counting official Israeli figures.

Of the 251 prisoners captured during the Hamas-led attack, 111 are still being held in Gaza. According to the military, 39 of them are dead.

Netanyahu said on Monday that the aim of negotiators was to “release as many live hostages as possible” in the first phase of a ceasefire.

Devastation in the Gaza Strip

The Biden framework calls for a freeze on fighting for an initial six weeks while Israeli and Palestinian prisoners are exchanged and humanitarian aid reaches Gaza.

Fighting continued to rage in the Gaza Strip and along the Israeli-Lebanese border, where Israeli forces and Hezbollah exchanged fire almost daily throughout the war.

Israel has attacked Hezbollah weapons depots deep in eastern Lebanon, in the Bekaa region, a source close to the group said. AFPMost of the exchanges of fire took place along the Israeli-Lebanese border, although Israel had previously attacked the Bekaa Valley.

An Israeli soldier and two Hezbollah fighters were killed in cross-border clashes, the Israeli military and Hezbollah said on Monday.

In the southern Gaza Strip, a medical source said AFP Three people were killed in the village of Abassan and witnesses reported Israeli air strikes near the Islamic University in Khan Younis.

The Israeli military said troops had “expanded” their operations in Khan Younis and the outskirts of Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza. A medical source said AFP A little girl was killed in air strikes west of Khan Younis.

The Israeli war has devastated Gaza. A video posted on social media by a UN official shows a convoy driving past scenes of utter destruction. Almost all buildings are in ruins and the few that are still standing are badly damaged.

What little remains of the health system is under enormous pressure, and last week Gaza saw its first case of polio in 25 years.

Blinken said Monday that Washington is working with Israel and expects they will have a vaccination plan “in the coming weeks.”

The UN says such an attack is ready, but would require a two-week pause in fighting.