Ammon News - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that Washington was working "intensively" with its partners "to bridge the remaining gaps" for a deal to free hostages held by Hamas and secure a ceasefire in Gaza.

"Yes, there has been a counter-proposal put forward by Hamas. I obviously can't get into the details of what that involves, but what I can tell you is we're working intensively with Israel, with Qatar, with Egypt, to bridge the remaining gaps and to try to reach an agreement," Blinken said during a visit to Vienna.

"I think it reflects the sense both of possibility and of urgency to get an agreement, to get a ceasefire, to get the hostages back, to get even more humanitarian assistance in," Blinken said about Israel's move.

When asked about a possible Israel military offensive on Rafah, Blinken said the US had not seen such plans, reiterating that Washington wants a "clear and implementable plan" to ensure civilians are "out of harm's way".

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