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Live Blog Update| Israel's genocide in Gaza

Blinken blames Hamas for stalled ceasefire talks

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that Hamas is the only outlier in not accepting the US-backed ceasefire proposal, adding that Israel has agreed to the deal.

Blinken made the comments on the first leg of a Middle East tour beginning in Cairo, aimed at securing the ceasefire proposal.

Israel has not offered guarantees for a “permanent” ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from Gaza in its response to a plan presented by mediators, a copy of the proposal seen by Middle East Eye shows. 

Israel instead agreed to a “temporary cessation of military operations” for 42 days, which would be followed by open-ended talks to reach a permanent ceasefire.