Gaza ceasefire faces uncertain 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Hamas has proposed ‘numerous changes’ to a US-backed plan for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, which currently hangs in the balance.

He told reporters in Doha that some of the changes were "workable" and others were not, but that the US and mediators Qatar and Egypt would "try to close this deal".

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen television channel that the group had “submitted some remarks on the proposal to the mediators”. He did not give any details.

Hamas has responded to a US-backed proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and an exchange of captives for prisoners with some “remarks” on the plan, Qatari and Egyptian mediators have said.

Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group said in a joint statement on Tuesday that they were ready to “deal positively to arrive at an agreement” and that their priority is to bring a “complete stop” to Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.

Israel’s government has not commented, but an anonymous Israeli official said the Palestinian armed group’s response amounted to a rejection.

On Tuesday, Mr Blinken said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had "reaffirmed his commitment" to the ceasefire proposal and that only Hamas stood in the way of progress.

However, Mr Netanyahu has not publicly endorsed the plan, which US President Joe Biden said had been offered by Israel when he outlined it 12 days ago.

The UN Security Council on Monday passed a resolution supporting the proposal, adding to the diplomatic pressure the US is exerting.