DOHA: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday (Jun 12) that Hamas had proposed numerous changes, some unworkable, to a US-backed proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, but that mediators were determined to close the gaps.
The proposal outlined by US President Joe Biden envisages a truce and a phased release of Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians jailed in Israel, ultimately leading to a permanent end to the war.
At a press conference with Qatar's prime minister in Doha, Blinken said some of the counter-proposals from the militant group administering Gaza had sought to amend terms that it had accepted in previous talks.
Negotiators from the US, Egypt and Qatar have tried for months to mediate a ceasefire in the conflict - which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and devastated the enclave - and free the hostages, more than 100 of whom are believed to remain captive in Gaza.
"Hamas could have answered with a single word: Yes," Blinken said.
"Instead, Hamas waited nearly two weeks and then proposed more changes, a number of which go beyond positions that it had previously taken and accepted."
The US has said Israel has accepted its proposal, but Israel has not publicly stated this.
Izzat al-Rishq from Hamas' political bureau said its formal response to the US proposal was "responsible, serious and positive" and "opens up a wide pathway" for an accord.
Hamas also wants written guarantees from the US on the ceasefire plan, two Egyptian security sources said.
Blinken said Washington would in coming weeks put forward proposals for the post-war administration and rebuilding of Gaza: "We have to have plans for the day after the conflict ends in Gaza, and we need to have them as soon as possible."
Major powers are intensifying efforts to halt the conflict in part to prevent it spiralling into a regional war, with a dangerous flashpoint being the escalating hostilities on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
Lebanon's Hezbollah militia, backed by Iran, fired barrages of rockets at Israel on Wednesday in retaliation for the killing of a senior Hezbollah field commander. Israel said it had in turn attacked the launch sites from the air.
Taleb Abdallah, or Abu Taleb, was the most senior Hezbollah commander killed in the conflict, a security source said, and Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine vowed that the group would expand its operations against Israel.
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2024-06-12 11:07:00Z
CBMidGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQvZ2F6YS1pc3JhZWwtaGFtYXMtd2FyLXJhZ2VzLW1lZGlhdG9ycy1zdHVkeS1yZXBseS1jZWFzZWZpcmUtdHJ1Y2UtcGxhbi00NDA1MDY20gEA
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