US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a media conference after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at the Czernin Palace, in Prague, Czech Republic, May 31, 2024. Photo: Peter David Josek/Pool via REUTERS

i24 News – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the United States and its partners will release plans for the post-war management of Gaza in the coming weeks.

Speaking at a press conference in Doha with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Blinken emphasized the urgency of “day after” planning to ensure a lasting end to the conflict.

“In the coming weeks, we will put forward proposals for key elements of the day-after — planning that includes concrete ideas for how to manage governance, security, reconstruction,” Blinken said. He highlighted that although Hamas’s actions will influence the war’s continuation, they should not dictate the region’s future.

Blinken did not specify that Israel must present these plans. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted calls for such planning, arguing it is futile while Hamas remains in power. Meanwhile, the U.S. has collaborated with Arab nations to advance a post-war vision for Gaza.

Blinken also criticized Hamas’s response to Israel’s hostage deal proposal, noting that the group suggested numerous changes, many of which were unworkable. “Hamas has proposed numerous changes to the proposal that was on the table… Some of the changes are workable, some are not,” Blinken said.

He pointed out that a deal, nearly identical to Hamas’s own proposal from May 6, was accepted by Israel and supported by the international community. However, instead of agreeing, Hamas delayed for nearly two weeks and proposed further changes.

“As a result, the war — [which] Hamas started on October 7 with its barbaric attack on Israel and on Israeli civilians — will go on. More people will suffer, more Palestinians will suffer, more Israelis will suffer,” Blinken stated. He reiterated the U.S.’s determination to continue efforts to finalize the deal with the help of partners like Qatar and Egypt.

“It’s time for the haggling to stop and a ceasefire to start,” Blinken declared. He warned that if Hamas continues to reject the deal, it will become clear to the global community that the group is choosing to prolong the conflict.

“It may be that Hamas continues to say ‘no.’ [Then] I think it will be clear to everyone around the world, that it’s on them and that they will have made a choice to continue a war that they started,” he concluded.