Blinken says ‘lot of work to be done’ before Gaza cease-fire deal

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that there is "a lot of work to be done" before reaching a cease-fire deal in the Gaza Strip.

Mediators the U.S., Qatar and Egypt confirmed they have received a response by Hamas to a framework agreement for the truce and hostage-prisoner swap with Israel.

"We're looking at it intensely," Blinken said of the reply by the Palestinian group during his meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, according to The Times of Israel newspaper.

"There's a lot of work to be done, but we are very much focused on doing that work and hopefully, being able to resume the release of hostages that was interrupted so many months ago," he added. Blinken also met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A Palestinian source told Anadolu that Hamas has proposed a 3-stage plan for a Gaza cease-fire that includes a 135-day pause in fighting in return for hostage releases.

The war in the Palestinian enclave began after the Oct. 7 offensive by Hamas, in which some 1,200 people were killed, and around 240 taken as hostages.

About half of the hostages were released during a weeklong November cease-fire in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

Israel's attacks have killed more than 27,000 Palestinians, and about 85% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million has been displaced, according to the UN.

The Qatari prime minister on Tuesday said Hamas had given a "generally positive" response to the proposals for a deal to stop the fighting, and release Palestinian prisoners for the return of more hostages.