Blinken Casts Doubt on Cease-Fire Hopes After Hamas Responds
- Top US diplomat says some of the group’s proposals won’t work
- Hamas and Israel remain far apart on outcome of war in Gaza
Secretary of State Antony Blinken cast fresh doubt on the prospects that Israel and Hamas would agree to a cease-fire proposal put forward by the US, saying some of the militant group’s latest demands were unacceptable.
Blinken offered the downbeat assessment after meeting senior leaders in Qatar, who along with Egyptian officials have mediated indirect talks between the two sides in a bid to end the war, which began when Hamas stormed into Israel on Oct. 7.