Former US Secretary of State Blinken denied delaying hostage deal
Former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken denied that on October 7 he asked Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to wait before mediating a swift agreement between Israel and Hamas on the release of hostages. In a post on X, he called these claims false and a complete fabrication, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Haaretz’s version
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that on the evening of October 7, the emir of Qatar allegedly told Blinken that he was ready to mediate to reach a swift agreement. According to the publication, Al Thani said that hundreds of hostages were being held in Gaza, including, by his estimate, dozens of civilians who needed to be released immediately.
Haaretz also claimed that the emir offered Israel his mediation, but the Israeli side showed no interest. According to the newspaper, Blinken responded by suggesting that they wait and said he intended to speak personally with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Blinken’s response and reports of a UAE warning
According to Haaretz, Blinken allegedly also told the Qatari emir that he would arrive in Israel within three days of the conversation. The publication attributed to him an explanation that the situation was complicated, Israel was still under attack, and therefore it was necessary to wait three days.
The Haaretz publication also contained a claim that United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan warned Netanyahu several days before the October 7 attack that Hamas was preparing a large-scale operation against Israel. Netanyahu denied this and threatened legal action against the publication. At the same time, two sources familiar with the details told the Jerusalem Post that the Joe Biden administration was unaware of any specific UAE warning about a planned Hamas attack.
