Gaza, Blinken fears “unacceptable damage”. Qatar “will accept the US request” –

The US administration has said there might be consequences for Israel if it were to proceed with an attack on Rafah without a credible plan to safeguard civilians. “In the absence of such a plan, we cannot support a major military operation on Rafah because the damage it would do is beyond what is acceptable,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the Sedona Forum, an event in Arizona hosted by the McCain Institute. “The only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas,” he continued, calling the latest Israeli proposal “extraordinarily generous” and saying that “the time to act is now.”

Qatar, meanwhile, is reportedly ready to accept the United States’ request to expel the Hamas leadership from Doha. An American source familiar with the dossier said this to the Times of Israel, confirming what was written by the Washington Post, according to which it was US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who pointed out to Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani that Doha should expel the leadership of group if Hamas continues to reject proposals on a ceasefire and hostage release. A request that would be reiterated by the Americans if the movement were to say no to Cairo’s latest offer.

For its part, Hamas is still evaluating the latest proposal for an agreement, aimed at freeing the hostages and strengthening humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population. According to US press sources, the request was made by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani last April. Anonymous diplomats told the Washington newspaper that US requests had become more insistent in recent weeks, and that Qatari authorities had asked the Hamas leadership to prepare an “alternative plan” for its residency, should the need arise. . Among the people contacted by Qatar there was also the head of the political office of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh.