Antony Blinken leaves Mena region as ceasefire deal moves out of reach

US Secretary of State says some Hamas changes to proposal are ‘workable’

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said 'It's time for the haggling to stop and a ceasefire to start.' AP

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday wrapped up his eighth trip to the Middle East since the Israel-Gaza war broke out, with the trip ending much like previous ones: with violence still raging and hopes for peace seemingly even further away than when he arrived.

Hamas on Tuesday responded to US President Joe Biden’s three-phase proposal, which calls for a six-week truce, an exchange of detainees and hostages, and a guarantee that negotiations on a permanent ceasefire will start as soon as the temporary pause in fighting ends.

The militant group has called for changes and clarifications, but the Israeli government has said this amounts to a rejection.

Mr Blinken refused to call Hamas’s response a rejection and said some of the proposed changes are “workable”, while others are not.

“Here, in a nutshell, is where we stand,” Mr Blinken told reporters during a press conference in Doha alongside Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

“A deal was on the table that was virtually identical to the proposal that Hamas put forward on May 6, a deal that the entire world is behind, a deal Israel has accepted, and Hamas could have answered with a single word: yes.

“Instead, Hamas waited nearly two weeks and then proposed more changes.”

The US Secretary of State vowed to keep working with Qatar and Egypt to bring about a deal but said that, at a certain point, the parties had to wonder whether or not Hamas was “proceeding in good faith”.

“It's time for the haggling to stop and a ceasefire to start,” said Mr Blinken, who has engaged in a series of diplomatic missions since the Israel-Gaza war began.

Striking a slightly more optimistic tone, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that many of the changes to the Gaza ceasefire deal proposed by Hamas are “minor” and "not unanticipated", and that the US is working with partners to bridge the gaps in the deal.

More than 37,200 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military offensive, which began after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and kidnapped about 240 in southern Israel on October 7.

Nearly 85,000 people have been injured in Israel's bombardment and most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been displaced, many several times over.

It is, by far, the deadliest iteration of the decades-long conflict.

The US is determined to ensure that the conflict does not spill over into the wider region.

But amid Mr Blinken's renewed diplomatic push, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border continued to escalate.

Israel killed a senior Hezbollah commander overnight on Tuesday, prompting the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group to launch a barrage of rockets at the country.

Hezbollah fired more than 170 projectiles into Israel yesterday, and though the Israeli military intercepted the vast majority, some sparked fires in the north of the country.

“We don't want to see that escalation,” Mr Blinken said. “I think it's also safe to say that actually no one is looking to start a war, to have escalation.”

Washington believes the best way to avoid a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah is to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza, but the feasibility of this remains unclear.

“I believe it's doable,” Mr Blinken said. “I believe it's absolutely necessary to try our hardest to do it but there is no guarantee.”