No ceasefire in sight as Blinken leaves Mideast without a deal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his visit to the Middle East without securing any major breakthrough for a ceasefire that can bring Israel's deadly war on Gaza to an end.

Blinken first visited Tel Aviv on Monday following a visit to Egypt and Qatar on Tuesday to mediate a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Following a whirlwind of negotiations in recent days, Blinken claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured him of support for a US proposal to bridge gaps on a Gaza ceasefire.

But Hamas says otherwise.

Hamas previously announced that it accepted the US ceasefire proposal but called the latest proposal a reversal of their agreement. They said that the US is yielding to new conditions from Israel.

Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan said the Palestinian resistance group will adhere to the ceasefire plan that was previously proposed by US President Joe Biden.

Hamdan also accused Washington of buying time for Netanyahu to "continue its genocide" in Gaza.

The US is "merely buying time for Israel to continue its genocide," Hamdan said.

"The Israelis have retreated from issues included in Biden’s proposal. Netanyahu’s talk about agreeing to an updated proposal indicates that the US administration has failed to convince him to accept the previous agreement," Hamdan told Al Jazeera.

Netanyahu's games

Few details have been released about the so-called bridge proposal put forth by the US, Egypt and Qatar. Blinken said it is “very clear on the schedule and the locations of (Israeli forces) withdrawals from Gaza.”

Blinken’s comments on ending his latest Israel-Hamas peace mission were in notable contrast to what the Biden administration officials had said at the trip's start.

“Our message is simple. It’s clear, and it’s urgent," he told reporters before leaving Qatar. "We need to get a ceasefire and hostage agreement over the finish line, and we need to do it now. Time is of the essence.”

The US expects the ceasefire talks to continue this week.

The proposed plan included a six-week ceasefire, with some Israeli hostages released in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli jails.

The ceasefire could be extended while negotiators work out the return of soldiers and bodies, Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza, and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.

However, Hamas wants a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from all of Gaza.

Blinken's comments that he has secured Netanyhu's nod to the bridge proposal received immediate criticism. A Haaretz article published on Tuesday said Israeli officials have been saying that a hostage deal wasn't possible, and even Netanyahu had privately expressed doubt about a deal.

Netanyahu faces accusations that he is not serious about the ceasefire since he needs the war to continue for his own political survival.

In Qatar, Blinken was asked about the terms for Israeli troop withdrawal within the ceasefire framework and about an Axios report quoting Netanyahu as saying he might have persuaded Blinken that Israel should maintain a presence in the Philadelphi corridor, a key area on Gaza's border with Egypt.

“The United States does not accept any long-term occupation of Gaza by Israel,” Blinken said.

“More specifically, the agreement is very clear on the schedule and the locations of (Israeli forces) withdrawals from Gaza, and Israel has agreed to that. So that’s as much as I know. That’s what I’m very clear about.”

Tel Aviv, which is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded over 92,000 others.

Thousands have perished under the debris of bombed homes, while some 10,000 Palestinians have been abducted by Israeli troops.