Blinken to discuss Hamas' response to cease-fire with Israel on Wednesday

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that he will discuss Hamas' response to a cease-fire proposal with Israel in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

"Hamas responded to the cease-fire framework agreement. We are reviewing that response. I will be discussing it with the government of Israel tomorrow,'' Blinken said at a news conference with his Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, in Doha.

He said he would work ''relentlessly'' during the discussion of the agreement with Israel to renew and broaden a cease-fire and secure the release of hostages.

Blinken affirmed that reaching an agreement on the hostages is the best path forward for advancing a prolonged cease-fire in Gaza.

Qatar's prime minister welcomed the "positive" response by the Palestinian group to a framework deal for a possible new cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and hostage swap with Israel.

A humanitarian pause in November resulted in a seven-day cessation of hostilities in the fighting in exchange for the release of more than 100 hostages by Hamas and about 240 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on Gaza following an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, killing at least 27,585 Palestinians and injuring 66,978 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza's population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.