Blinken says ‘gaps narrowing’ between Israel, Hamas on ceasefire

JEDDAH: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said he believes “the gaps are narrowing” and a ceasefire agreement is “very much possible” between Hamas and Israel, the Saudi news channel Al Hadath reports.

“We worked very hard with Qatar, Egypt and Israel to put a strong proposal on the table … Hamas wouldn’t accept it. They came back with other demands. The negotiators are working on that right now, but I believe it’s very much doable, and it’s very much necessary,” he told the outlet.

Blinken added that if “Hamas cares at all about the people it purports to represent, then it would reach an agreement”.

An Israeli delegation is currently in Doha to meet with Egyptian, US and Qatari mediators to discuss a three-stage captives-for-ceasefire proposal tabled by Hamas.

Canadian freeze on new arms export permits to Israel to stay

Meanwhile the Israeli government has submitted written assurances required by the State Department that weapons it received from the US are not being used to violate international law in Gaza, the Reuters news agency reports, citing an unnamed US official.

Israel had until March 24 to submit its written assurances, and the State Department will now assess by early May whether its claims are credible and report its findings to Congress.

President Joe Biden issued a national security memorandum last month reminding countries receiving US-supplied weapons to abide by international law. It also, for the first time, required the US government to submit an annual report to Congress on whether countries are meeting those requirements.