Gaza ceasefire deal: Some changes proposed by Hamas unworkable, says US
Beirut, June 12
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the war in Gaza would go on after Hamas proposed “numerous” changes to a US-backed cease-fire plan, some that he said were “workable” and some not.
He did not spell out what the changes were. Speaking to reporters in Qatar, Blinken said the US and other mediators will keep trying to “close this deal.” Blinken is in the region to push a cease-fire proposal with global support that has not been fully embraced by Israel or Hamas. The militant group submitted its first official response late Tuesday, requesting “amendments” to the deal.
The American’s comments came as Lebanon’s Hezbollah fired a massive barrage of rockets into northern Israel to avenge the killing of a top commander, further escalating regional tensions.
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed ally of Hamas, has traded fire with Israel nearly every day since the 8-month-long Israel-Hamas war began and says it will only stop if there is a truce in Gaza. That has raised fears of an even more devastating regional conflagration.
Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel, and the military said that about 160 projectiles were fired from southern Lebanon, making it one of the largest attacks since the fighting began. There were no immediate reports of casualties as some were intercepted while others ignited brush fires.
Hamas has expressed support for the broad outline of the deal but wariness over whether Israel would implement its terms.
Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha told the Lebanese news outlet ElNashra that the “amendments” requested by the group include guarantees of a permanent cease-fire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Hamas’s official reply to the proposal, which it conveyed to mediators on Tuesday, appeared to be short of outright acceptance but kept negotiations alive.
Qatar and Egypt, which have been key mediators alongside the United States, said they were studying it. Blinken is on his eighth visit to the region since the start of the war. — AP
