Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli leaders on Wednesday on a Middle East tour undertaken as President Joe Biden tries to stop Israel from starting a major ground offensive in a part of the Gaza Strip where Palestinians have sought shelter during the war.

Blinken and other top aides of Biden’s are also calling for Hamas to agree to a deal to free some hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attacks in exchange for a six-week cease-fire and the release of some Palestinian prisoners. U.S. officials say they hope a temporary cease-fire would lead to a permanent one. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he plans a major assault on Rafah, a city in southern Gaza that many people have fled to, “with or without” a deal.

The talks have been stalled for months, and Israeli officials said Monday that they had agreed to lower their demands. They are now asking Hamas to free 33 civilians — women, older people and those who need urgent medical care — rather than 40. In November, Hamas freed more than 100 hostages during a seven-day cease-fire.

The proposed deal was one of the issues that Blinken, on the third stop of his trip, planned to discuss with President Isaac Herzog of Israel on Wednesday morning in Tel Aviv. Blinken is scheduled to meet Netanyahu later.

Before the meeting with Herzog started, Blinken told the president and reporters that discussions must focus on both a cease-fire that releases hostages and getting more aid to people in Gaza.

Blinken and other U.S. officials say Hamas has a narrow window to take the deal since Netanyahu is pressing for the offensive in Rafah. The Biden administration says that such an offensive should not be launched without safeguards for civilians. U.S. officials say they would prefer that Israel do targeted operations against Hamas leaders and fighters in Rafah, where Israeli officials say Hamas still has four battalions.

U.S. officials say they have become more concerned about the Palestinian civilian casualties in the war. Israeli military strikes have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, Gaza Health Ministry official say.

“No more delays. No more excuses. The time to act is now,” Blinken told reporters traveling with him Tuesday when he visited an aid distribution warehouse in Jordan while en route to Israel. “We want to see in the coming days this agreement coming together.”

When asked about Netanyahu’s statements on Rafah, Blinken said that U.S. efforts were focused on a hostage and cease-fire deal.

The New York Times News Service