Aug 20, 2024, 10:15 PM

Blinken arrives in Qatar on Gaza truce push

TEHRAN, Aug. 20 (MNA) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Qatar on Tuesday as part of a West Asia tour to allegedly push forward talks aimed at ending the 10-month-old Gaza war.

Blinken is set to meet with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani following stops in Egypt and Occupied Palestine.

While the United Nations special rapporteurs on Palestinian affairs have repeatedly condemned Washington's continued support of Israel's genocide, Washington says that the purpose of Blinken's visit to the region is to "establish a ceasefire in Gaza".

Washington put forward the latest proposal last week after the talks in Doha.

Ahead of those talks, Hamas called on the mediators to implement the framework set out by US President Joe Biden in late May, rather than hold more negotiations.

Hamas movement said on Sunday that the current US proposal "responds to Netanyahu's conditions".

At the weekend, Hamas political bureau member Sami Abu Zuhri said US optimism about the prospects for the deal was an "illusion".

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News ID 219907