Some of Hamas’ proposed changes to Gaza ceasefire plan are possible: Blinken

Beirut—

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday the war in Gaza would continue after Hamas proposed “numerous” changes to a ceasefire plan backed by Washington, some of which he described as “feasible” and others not.

He did not elaborate on what those changes are. Speaking to reporters in Qatar, Blinken said the United States and other mediators would continue to try to “close this deal.”

US diplomats are in the region to promote the ceasefire proposal with global support, which has not been fully adopted by Israel or Hamas. The armed group sent its first official response on Tuesday afternoon, requesting “revisions” to the agreement.

For its part, the Lebanese group Hezbollah fired a volley of rockets into northern Israel in revenge for the killing of a high-level commander, further fuelling regional tensions.

Hamas’s Iran-backed ally Hezbollah has exchanged gunfire with Israel almost every day since the war began eight months ago, and says it will only stop if there is a ceasefire in Gaza. That has raised fears of an even more devastating regional conflict.

Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel, and the army said about 160 shells were fired from southern Lebanon, in one of the biggest attacks since the fighting began. No casualties have been reported so far, and some projectiles were intercepted while others caused bushland fires.

Hamas requests “revision”

Hamas has expressed support for the general terms of the agreement, but is concerned that Israel will enforce its conditions.

Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha told Lebanese news outlet Elnashra that “amendments” requested by the group include guarantees of a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Hamas’ official response to the proposal, which it conveyed to mediators on Tuesday, did not appear to reach full acceptance of the plan but kept negotiations open. Qatar and Egypt, which have been key mediators along with the United States, said they were studying it.

Blinken is on his eighth visit to the region since the war began.

According to Palestinian health officials, the initiative raises hopes of ending a conflict in which Israeli bombing and ground assaults in Gaza have killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, in addition to driving some 80% of the population, 2.3 million people, from their homes. Israeli restrictions and continued fighting have complicated efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the isolated coastal region, leading to widespread hunger.

Israel launched its campaign after Hamas and other militants invaded Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages. More than 100 hostages were freed during a weeklong ceasefire last year in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Hamas still holds about 120 hostages, a third of whom have died.

The proposal announced by US President Joe Biden envisages a three-phase plan that would begin with a six-week ceasefire and the release of some hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces would withdraw from populated areas and Palestinian civilians would be allowed to return to their homes.

According to Biden, the first phase also requires the secure delivery of humanitarian aid “on a large scale throughout the Gaza Strip,” which means up to 600 aid trucks will enter the territory every day.

At the same time, negotiations would begin on a second phase, which would involve “a permanent end to hostilities and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza in exchange for the release of all other hostages still held in Gaza.”

Phase three would include “a major multi-year Gaza reconstruction plan and the return of the remains of dead hostages still in Gaza to their families”.

The armed group accepted a similar offer last month, which was rejected by Israel.

Far-right members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition have rejected the latest proposal and threatened to topple his government if he ends the war without destroying Hamas. But Netanyahu also faces growing pressure to reach a deal to return the hostages. Thousands of Israelis, including relatives of detainees, have come out in support of the Washington-backed plan.

Revenge of a ousted commander

Hezbollah said it fired missiles and rockets at two military bases in retaliation for the death of Taleb Sami Abdullah, 55. Known in Hezbollah as Haj Abu Taleb, he is the highest-ranking commander to die since the fighting began eight months ago. An Israeli operation on Tuesday night destroyed a house about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border where Abdullah and three other group officials were holding a meeting.

A Hezbollah member told The Associated Press that Abdullah was commanding most of the front between Lebanon and Israel, including the area across from the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, which Hezbollah has attacked repeatedly in recent days, setting fire to the area.

The militia member, who was not authorized to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Abdullah joined the group decades ago and took part in attacks against Israeli forces during the 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon that ended in May 2000.

Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed more than 400 people, most of them Hezbollah members, although the dead also include more than 70 civilians and non-combatants. On the Israeli side, 15 soldiers and 10 civilians have been killed since the war began in Gaza.

Other Iran-allied groups, including powerful militias in Iraq and Syria as well as Houthi rebels in Yemen, have attacked Israeli, American and other targets since the war began, often facing Western retaliation. Direct fire between Israel and Iran broke out for the first time in April.

President Biden’s administration has said the best way to ease regional tensions is for Hamas to accept a proposal for a multi-phase ceasefire that would end the war in Gaza and pave the way for the release of hostages still held since a Hamas attack on October 7 sparked the war. The United Nations Security Council voted in favor of the plan by an overwhelming majority on Monday.

Although Biden says this is an Israeli proposal, Netanyahu has given mixed messages and said Israel is committed to destroying Hamas. It is unclear how this would be achieved if the US proposal, which includes Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, is fully implemented.