US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, said on Friday that a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is on the horizon, adding that the negotiators are moving towards the final goal.

Blinken revealed before the Aspen Security Forum in the American city of Colorado that there are still some problems that need to be resolved and negotiated, adding: “We are in the midst of doing precisely that.”

Blinken said that work is continuing to reach a new agreement for a prisoner and detainee exchange deal between Hamas and Israel, and a ceasefire in Gaza.

He added: "I believe that we are close to reaching a ceasefire deal in Gaza and opening a path to reach lasting peace."

He pointed out the need to ensure, in cooperation with partners in the region and elsewhere, that Israel has a plan for the aftermath of the war in Gaza.

Mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States of America are engaged in negotiating rounds in an effort to reach an agreement between Hamas and Israel. Cairo, Doha, and Paris have hosted previous rounds of negotiations that have not yet resulted in an agreement.

At the end of last May, US President Joe Biden presented a comprehensive three-stage proposal that includes a permanent ceasefire, the release of all detainees, the return of the displaced, and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

Blinken's statements coincide with the International Court of Justice's confirmation, on Friday, of the illegality of Israel's presence in the occupied territories.

During a court session to announce its advisory opinion on the consequences of the Israeli occupation, the court stressed that it does not recognize any demographic change from Israel in any land since 1967, including East Jerusalem.

The United States had announced through officials that the court should not issue any decision that would harm the two-state solution negotiations based on the principle of land for peace.

Source: Reuters