Antony Blinken and Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who spoke by phone, "emphasized that the proposal presented by the negotiators addresses the remaining gaps in a way that allows for the swift implementation of the agreement" on a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said in a statement.
During the call, the two politicians "discussed the efforts being made to negotiate a ceasefire agreement that will alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and secure the release of the hostages," Patel said. Blinken, who left Doha this morning, spoke by phone with Qatar's foreign minister, who is also the country's prime minister, because he is away from the country.
The mediators also said they would continue to work together to "convey to the parties that neither of them should take measures that would undermine efforts to reach an agreement" on a ceasefire.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement that during the call, Al-Thani stressed "the importance of unifying regional and international efforts to reach an agreement that would lead to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip," as well as the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, avoiding "the consequences of a regional escalation."
The US diplomat was received on Tuesday night in Doha, after his visit to Egypt, by Qatari authorities, but without the presence of the country's emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and the reasons for his absence were not clarified.
This appeal comes during a visit that Blinken made to Israel, Egypt and Qatar to pressure the Palestinian group Hamas to accept the mediators' proposal launched last week in Doha.
According to Blinken, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already accepted this proposal, but the Palestinian group rejects it, indicating that this new text only responds to the demands of the Hebrew leader.
According to the latest proposal, revealed to EFE by a Hamas source, Israel would maintain a "reduced presence" in the Philadelphia corridor -- which connects Egypt to Gaza -- and would also remain in the Netzarim area. It also does not clearly address a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a demand of the Palestinian movement.
A new round of talks between mediators is scheduled to begin today in Cairo, to fill in the gaps and until a final version of the truce agreement between Israel and Hamas is reached, after months of negotiations.
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