Blinken Reiterates Call for Hamas to Accept Gaza Deal 'Bridging Proposal'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday reiterated his call for Hamas to accept a "bridging proposal" for a Gaza deal, as he spoke to reporters on the tarmac in Doha before heading back to Washington.

The top US diplomat, on his ninth regional visit since the 10-month-old Israel-Hamas war began, made a brief stop in mediator Qatar. Blinken said there was no time to waste in securing a Gaza ceasefire deal, as he wrapped up a Middle East tour.

Israel seized the Gaza Strip in 1967 and withdrew troops and settlers in 2005, although it has since maintained a crippling blockade on the Palestinian territory and imposed a siege during the current war.