U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that a ceasefire agreement in Gaza must be reached in the coming days, adding that the United States, Egypt, and Qatar will do everything in their power to persuade Hamas to agree to the "bridge proposal."

Blinken, in his remarks to reporters in Doha, said that once Hamas agrees to the proposal presented by Washington to address the disputes hindering the ceasefire agreement, they will also need to obtain approval on implementation details. Blinken stated that the United States has long said it does not accept Israel's long-term occupation of Gaza.

The senior U.S. diplomat stressed, "Time is of the essence. This must happen, and it must happen in the coming days, and we will do everything we can to achieve it."

In a related context, an American official said on Tuesday that the "extreme" statements attributed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding maintaining control over the Gaza and Egypt borders have not helped reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

According to the "Times of Israel," the reprimand came from a senior American official traveling with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the Middle East, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive discussions, after Netanyahu told his hardline relatives of hostages and victims' families that "Israel will not leave the Philadelphia Corridor and the Netzarim Corridor under any circumstances."

Netanyahu insisted that Israel would not withdraw from areas in Gaza and that troops must be stationed there for strategic and security reasons, including preventing arms smuggling and the return of armed Gaza residents from the south of the strip to the north, as well as allowing the military freedom of maneuver through the enclave. Earlier this week, Israeli negotiators reportedly informed the Prime Minister that this condition would lead to the deal's collapse.

The official who also denied a report by Axios that Netanyahu may have managed to convince the senior American diplomats on this issue stated, "Such extreme statements are not constructive for reaching a ceasefire agreement at the finish line."

A senior administration official told reporters on his way to Doha, "The only thing Secretary Blinken and the United States are convinced of is the need to arrive at a ceasefire proposal at the finish line." Blinken is scheduled to meet with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani after stops in Egypt and Israel.

The Philadelphia Corridor runs along the border between Gaza and Egypt, while the Netzarim Corridor divides northern and southern Gaza.

According to a statement from the Jafoura Forum, which represents some families of fallen soldiers, Netanyahu told the group on Tuesday that he "is not sure there is a deal," and that any deal "must protect Israel's interests."

Meanwhile, an anonymous source in the Israeli negotiating team also accused Netanyahu of sabotaging the talks with his statements on Tuesday, as reported by public broadcaster Kan.

The source told Kan: "Netanyahu's statement aims to blow up the negotiations, and there is no other way to interpret it." "The Prime Minister knows that we are in a critical period during which we are trying to find solutions for the Philadelphia and Netzarim Corridors before the upcoming summit."

The source added: "He knows there is progress - and then he issues contradictory statements to what was agreed upon with the mediators."

One of the main gaps in the negotiations that American, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators are trying to address concerns the deployment of Israeli Defense Forces along the Philadelphia Corridor. Netanyahu insisted on maintaining an Israeli military presence there to prevent arms smuggling—a demand that Hamas rejects. The group has stated that it will not tolerate any Israeli presence in the area at all.

Despite characterizing the Prime Minister's statements as "extreme," the New York Times reported that a "new American proposal" for a hostage release and ceasefire agreement would allow fewer Israeli forces to continue partial patrols in the Philadelphia Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, citing officials familiar with the negotiations.

Channel 12 reported on Tuesday that the proposal was relayed to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. However, the officials told the New York Times that the proposal for a limited Israeli military presence would likely be rejected by Hamas due to its longstanding condition for an Israeli withdrawal.

Additionally, it was reported that Egypt expressed its displeasure, with Egyptian officials warning that a prolonged Israeli military presence would pose national security concerns for Cairo.

Officials said Netanyahu's other "non-negotiable" demands also raised issues in the Doha talks over the weekend, after the United States requested to postpone in-depth discussions regarding Israel's demand to vet returning displaced Palestinians in the northern part of the strip to ensure they do not carry weapons.

Currently, the Biden administration confirmed that Netanyahu is indeed adhering to the latest bridge proposal presented by the United States on Friday.

At the same time, an American official acknowledged to the Times of Israel that there is concern from both sides regarding the implementation of the deal.

Netanyahu's stance has been criticized in Israel, where opposition leader Yair Lapid called for an immediate agreement before "all the hostages die."

Lapid wrote on X: "Enough of the briefings, enough of the tweets. All of Netanyahu's attempts to sabotage the negotiations must stop. A deal now, before they all die."

Hundreds of protesters also blocked traffic as they gathered on Begin Road in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening to demonstrate for a deal regarding the hostages, after the bodies of six hostages were recovered in a nighttime operation, all of whom were abducted alive on October 7.

The protesters marched carrying photos of Abraham Munder, Alex Dansig, Haim Perry, Yagiv Buchstab, Yoram Metzger, and Nadav Pobliweil behind a banner that read "Netanyahu is sacrificing the hostages."

Activists also wrote the names of the hostages on the road, chanting that "the blood of the hostages is on the hands of the terror government."

"We did not know at the time that we had sealed the fate of the elderly."

Meanwhile, Israeli officials revealed that the negotiators had an opportunity to secure the release of the elderly men held by Hamas during the week-long truce in November, but they declined out of fear of jeopardizing efforts to free the remaining hostages.

Channel 12 reported on Tuesday evening that the negotiators are now uncertain whether the decision to accept the release of only women and children, rather than men, during the week-long truce was the right choice.

The November truce collapsed after seven days when Hamas stated it could not release more civilian women and children, saying it could instead release hostages from other categories, namely civilian men.

Israel rejected this, stating it would violate the terms of the negotiated agreement, as it was known that by that point, the group was still holding around 17 women and two children.

Now, speaking to Channel 12, an anonymous source involved in the negotiations over the truce said that the issue of whether to allow Hamas to change the terms of the agreement was a "very difficult moral dilemma."

The source was quoted as saying, "We did not know at the time that we had sealed the fate of the elderly. But in reality, we could possibly have released them, and they died."

The report added that Knesset member Gadi Eisenkot from the National Unity Party, who was an observer in the now-disbanded war cabinet, spoke in favor of allowing Hamas to violate the terms of the agreement and release the men instead, arguing that it would be better than nothing, as it would take months for the opportunity to arise again to release hostages—men or women.