Gaza hostage deal still possible but 'very hard' issues remain, says Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday said that deal for the release of hostages held by Hamas remains possible but “very hard” issues remain to be resolved. The hostage talks, which included intelligence chiefs from the US, Egypt, and Israel, along with the Qatari prime minister, aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Israel’s four-month-old conflict in Gaza, concluded without a breakthrough on Tuesday. When asked if an agreement for a pause in hostilities could be reached before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on 10 March, Blinken noted that Hamas’s initial response to a potential deal contained some “clear non-starters.” However, he also indicated the possibility of progressing towards an agreement through ongoing negotiations. “We’re now in the process with our counterparts from Qatar, from Egypt, from Israel, in working on that and working very intensely on that with the goal of trying to find an agreement and I believe that it is possible,” Reuters quoted Blinken as saying at a news conference during a visit to Albania. “There are some very, very hard issues that have to be resolved. But we’re committed to doing everything we can to move forward and to see if we can reach an agreement,” Blinken added. Israeli officials turned down proposals from Hamas regarding the exchange of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel for the release of hostages, Reuters quoted two sources as saying. One source mentioned that the Israelis were displeased with the proposed ratio of prisoners to hostages. Additionally, there was a disagreement over the timing of a ceasefire, with Hamas advocating for an earlier pause while Israel preferred a later date, according to the sources. CIA director Bill Burns engaged in further discussions in Israel on Thursday, as confirmed by two knowledgeable sources. The CIA chose not to provide any comments on the matter, added the Reuters report. Blinken also called for Israel to investigate reports that its forces killed a Palestinian American teenager in the occupied West Bank on 10 February, the second such death in recent weeks. Asked about the death of 17-year-old Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour, – which came after the Jan. 19 killing of Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, also 17, that Israel has pledged to investigate - Blinken offered his condolences, but said privacy laws limited what he could say about the cases. “We’ve made clear that… there needs to be an investigation. We need to get the facts and, if appropriate, there needs to be accountability,” he said. Defense for Children International - Palestine, an NGO, said it had gathered evidence that Israeli forces opened fire on a car with Khdour inside. Reuters was unable to independently verify the report. An Israeli military spokesperson referred Reuters to the Shin Bet internal security service, which did not immediately respond. With inputs from agencies