US secretary of state Antony Blinken has said the war in Gaza will go on after Hamas proposed “numerous” changes to an American-backed ceasefire plan – some that he said were “workable”, and some not.
Mr Blinken did not spell out what the changes were. Speaking to reporters in Qatar, he said the US and other mediators will keep trying to “close this deal”.
The top US diplomat is in the region to push a ceasefire proposal with global support that has not been fully embraced by either Israel or Hamas.
The militant group submitted its first official response on Tuesday night, requesting “amendments” to the deal.
Mr Blinken’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 Iranian-backed ally of Hamas, has traded fire with Israel nearly every day since the eight-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.
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