“Yes, there has been a counter proposal put forward by Hamas,” the diplomat said.
“Of course I can’t go into the details of what that entails, but I can tell you that we are working intensively with Israel, with Qatar, with Egypt to bridge the remaining gaps and try to reach an agreement,” Blinken said during a visit to Vienna.
As the representative of “Hamas” previously told the AFP news agency, the group proposed a six-week ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as well as the exchange of dozens of Israeli prisoners for Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has announced that Israel will send a delegation to Doha for a new round of talks to secure the release of the hostages.
“I think it represents the intersection of both possibility and urgency that we need to get an agreement, get a ceasefire, get the hostages back, get more humanitarian aid coming [Gazas joslā],” said Blinken, commenting on Israel’s move.
Asked about a possible Israeli military offensive in Rafah, Blinken said the US had seen no such plans, reiterating that Washington wanted a “clear and workable plan” to keep civilians safe.
2024-03-15 20:41:37
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