Blinken arrives in Qatar for talks after Hamas replies to truce proposal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken touched down in Doha on Wednesday for talks with key mediator Qatar after Hamas gave its response to a US-led proposal for a ceasefire in war-ravaged Gaza.

Blinken, on a four-country tour around the Middle East to push Hamas to accept the truce plan, will meet Qatari officials, who have transmitted messages to the Palestinian group.

Hamas, responding to the plan laid out on 31 May by US President Joe Biden, proposed amendments late Tuesday including a ceasefire timeline and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, according to a source familiar with the talks.

Reporting by AFP