Beirut: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made it clear: The Gaza war will not end. Hamas has presented several amendments to the peace proposals presented by the US and accepted by the UN Security Council, some of which are acceptable, but many amendments are unacceptable.
However, Blinken did not say what amendments (Hamas) had suggested.
Speaking to reporters in Qatar, Blinken said the US and other mediators were working to reach a deal.
It is worth noting that Blinken visited that area 8 times to establish peace in this war that has been going on for the last 8 months. During this eighth visit also he is making efforts for peace. Efforts are being made to reduce tensions. At that time, Iranian-backed Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas and a staunch enemy of Israel, launched several missile attacks on northern Israel to avenge the death of its commander in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. As a result, the war in the region is sure to become widespread.
Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel last night and this morning. Israeli military officials said the shells were fired from southern Lebanon. There is no information on casualties, however. Some missiles were destroyed in the air. While some have set fire to forests, Hamas has supported only a broad outline of the agreement. It has also expressed concern that it is not possible to say whether Israel will accept it or not. There is also doubt whether it will be implemented or not.
“The amendments we have presented should guarantee (1) a permanent ceasefire and (2) a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces. Those are the main points,” Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha told the Lebanese News Agency in an interview with Abounshara.
This reply from Hamas was sent to the mediators on Tuesday itself. They did not fully accept the peace proposals but opened the way for continuing their talks.
Qatar, Egypt and the US are trying to bring peace to the Gaza war. They are discussing proposals with Hamas as well as Israel. But observers suspect that those efforts are unlikely to succeed. In fact, the Gaza war is becoming similar to the religious wars that began in the 11th century against Christians, Jews and Caliphate Magub.