WASHINGTON — Hamas responded to the US-backed cease-fire proposal for the Gaza Strip with “numerous changes,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday, tempering expectations that an end to the war is in sight.
Blinken told reporters in Doha that a deal was still “doable,” but there is “no guarantee” the Palestinian militant group’s requested changes won’t torpedo the months-long negotiations.
“Hamas has proposed numerous changes to the proposal that was on the table,” he said. “Some of the changes are workable. Some are not."
Hamas submitted its formal response to mediators Qatar and Egypt on Tuesday, more than a week after President Joe Biden made public what he described as a three-phase Israeli plan to halt the fighting and release the hostages taken on Oct. 7.
