The Latest | Blinken in Israel to tell its leaders 'the time is now' for a cease-fire in Gaza

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Israel on Wednesday for meetings with Israeli leaders and told the country's ceremonial president that "the time is now" for a cease-fire deal in the war in Gaza.

This is Blinken's seventh visit since the latest war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October. He is trying to advance a truce that would free hostages held by Gaza's Hamas militants in exchange for a halt to the fighting. Palestinian prisoners are also expected to be released as part of the deal.

On Tuesday, Blinken said that Israel plans on opening a major humanitarian aid crossing into hard-hit northern Gaza. The Israel-Hamas war has flattened huge swaths of Gaza's north, and famine is imminent for the hundreds of thousands of civilians who remain there.

Nearly seven months of Israeli bombardment and ground offensives in Gaza have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and sparked a humanitarian catastrophe.

The Israel-Hamas war was sparked by the unprecedented Oct. 7 raid into southern Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages. Israel says the militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

Currently:

— Blinken urges Israel and Hamas to move ahead with a cease-fire deal and says 'the time is now'

— Netanyahu vows to invade Rafah 'with or without a deal' as cease-fire talks with Hamas continue.

— Police clear pro-Palestinian protesters from Columbia University's Hamilton Hall.

— A Portuguese-flagged ship is hit far in Arabian Sea, raising concerns over Houthi rebel capabilities.

Follow AP's coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Here's the latest:

HAMAS ASKS MEDIATORS TO CLARIFY CEASE-FIRE TERMS

CAIRO, Egypt — Hamas has asked Egyptian and Qatari mediators to provide clarity on the terms of the latest cease-fire proposal being discussed as part of negotiations with Israel, an Egyptian official said Wednesday.

The official, who has close ties to the talks and spoke on condition of anonymity in order to freely discuss the deal, said Hamas wants clear terms for the unconditional return of displaced people to the north of Gaza and to ensure that the second stage of the deal will include discussing the gradual and complete withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the entire Gaza Strip.

The official said the current deal didn’t fully explain who would be allowed to return north and how it would be decided.

It was not clear if Hamas’ demand for clarity would delay progress on the deal that's emerging out of some of the first serious rounds of talks between the sides in months. Israel and Hamas have been far apart on the key issue of whether the war eventually ends as part of a later phase of the deal.

The emerging phased deal includes the release of 33 civilian and sick hostages held by militants in exchange for a halt to the fighting and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

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AP writer Samy Magdy contributed to this report.

BLINKEN IN ISRAEL TO PRESS THAT ‘THE TIME IS NOW’ FOR A CEASE-FIRE DEAL

TEL AVIV, Israel — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was meeting with Israeli leaders on Wednesday, telling the country’s ceremonial president that “the time is now” for a cease-fire deal.

Blinken has blamed Hamas for any delay is getting a deal off the ground.

“We are determined to get a cease-fire that brings the hostages home and to get it now, and the only reason that that wouldn’t be achieved is because of Hamas,” he said.

Blinken visited key regional leaders in Saudi Arabia and Jordan before arriving to Israel. He met Israeli President Isaac Herzog and was set to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later. According to the State Department, he will meet also with families of the hostages as well as visit an Israeli port where aid is entering for shipment to Gaza.

The emerging deal between Israel and Hamas appears to be gaining steam but a key sticking point remains over whether the war will end as part of the agreement, a demand Hamas has stuck to and which Israel rejects.