US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday wrapped up his eighth trip to the Middle East since the Israel-Gaza war broke out, with the trip ending much like previous ones: with violence still raging and hopes for peace seemingly even further away than when he arrived.
Hamas on Tuesday responded to US President Joe Biden’s three-phase proposal, which calls for a six-week truce, an exchange of detainees and hostages, and a guarantee that negotiations on a permanent ceasefire will start as soon as the temporary pause in fighting ends.
The militant group has called for changes and clarifications, but the Israeli government has said this amounts to a rejection.
Mr Blinken refused to call Hamas’s response a rejection and said some of the proposed changes are “workable”, while others are not.
“Here, in a nutshell, is where we stand,” Mr Blinken told reporters during a press conference in Doha alongside Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
“A deal was on the table that was virtually identical to the proposal that Hamas put forward on May 6, a deal that the entire world is behind, a deal Israel has accepted, and Hamas could have answered with a single word: yes.
“Instead, Hamas waited nearly two weeks and then proposed more changes.”
The US Secretary of State vowed to keep working with Qatar and Egypt to bring about a deal but said that, at a certain point, the parties had to wonder whether or not Hamas was “proceeding in good faith”.
“It's time for the haggling to stop and a ceasefire to start,” said Mr Blinken, who has engaged in a series of diplomatic missions since the Israel-Gaza war began.
Striking a slightly more optimistic tone, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that many of the changes to the Gaza ceasefire deal proposed by Hamas are “minor” and "not unanticipated", and that the US is working with partners to bridge the gaps in the deal.
More than 37,200 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military offensive, which began after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and kidnapped about 240 in southern Israel on October 7.
Nearly 85,000 people have been injured in Israel's bombardment and most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been displaced, many several times over.
It is, by far, the deadliest iteration of the decades-long conflict.
The US is determined to ensure that the conflict does not spill over into the wider region.
But amid Mr Blinken's renewed diplomatic push, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border continued to escalate.
Israel killed a senior Hezbollah commander overnight on Tuesday, prompting the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group to launch a barrage of rockets at the country.
Hezbollah fired more than 170 projectiles into Israel yesterday, and though the Israeli military intercepted the vast majority, some sparked fires in the north of the country.
“We don't want to see that escalation,” Mr Blinken said. “I think it's also safe to say that actually no one is looking to start a war, to have escalation.”
Washington believes the best way to avoid a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah is to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza, but the feasibility of this remains unclear.
“I believe it's doable,” Mr Blinken said. “I believe it's absolutely necessary to try our hardest to do it but there is no guarantee.”
Other key dates
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Finals draw: December 2
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Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
BRIEF SCORES
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50)
South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
SCORES
Multiply Titans 81-2 in 12.1 overs
(Tony de Zorzi, 34)
bt Auckland Aces 80 all out in 16 overs
(Shawn von Borg 4-15, Alfred Mothoa 2-11, Tshepo Moreki 2-16).
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand
(Saturday, 12pm UAE)
Wales v South Africa
(Sunday, 12pm, UAE)
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How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Ahmed Raza, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Chirag Suri , Zahoor Khan
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
Mobile phone packages comparison
Europa League group stage draw
Group A: Villarreal, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Astana, Slavia Prague.
Group B: Dynamo Kiev, Young Boys, Partizan Belgrade, Skenderbeu.
Group C: Sporting Braga, Ludogorets, Hoffenheim, Istanbul Basaksehir.
Group D: AC Milan, Austria Vienna , Rijeka, AEK Athens.
Group E: Lyon, Everton, Atalanta, Apollon Limassol.
Group F: FC Copenhagen, Lokomotiv Moscow, Sheriff Tiraspol, FC Zlin.
Group G: Vitoria Plzen, Steaua Bucarest, Hapoel Beer-Sheva, FC Lugano.
Group H: Arsenal, BATE Borisov, Cologne, Red Star Belgrade.
Group I: Salzburg, Marseille, Vitoria Guimaraes, Konyaspor.
Group J: Athletic Bilbao, Hertha Berlin, Zorya Luhansk, Ostersund.
Group K: Lazio, Nice, Zulte Waregem, Vitesse Arnhem.
Group L: Zenit St Petersburg, Real Sociedad, Rosenborg, Vardar
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EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
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Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
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Company%20profile
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
