It is up to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to “decide whether to move forward” with negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. This is the message delivered by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, after Hamas announced yesterday that it had chosen Sinwar, considered the mastermind of the October 7 attack in Israel, as the movement’s new political leader. Blinken called on Iran and Israel to avoid escalating the conflict in the Middle East after the killing of former Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh a week ago in Tehran. “No one should intensify this conflict,” Blinken commented. “New attacks will only increase the risk of dangerous outcomes that no one can predict and that no one can fully control.” Blinken urged “everyone in the region” to understand “the risk of miscalculation” and “make decisions that will de-escalate tensions.”

“He was and remains the ultimate decision maker of the ceasefire,” he said at a news conference, and “I think that underscores the fact that it’s really up to him to decide whether or not to go ahead with the ceasefire.” He spoke with Defense Minister Lloyd Austin and his Australian counterparts. It’s up to Sinwar to decide “whether we can take Gaza and the region in general to a more peaceful and secure path.” He insisted that “the responsibility really lies with him.”