Blinken says ceasefire plan must respected only from Hamas

Mr Blinken described as a "hopeful sign" Hamas's response to a resolution passed by the UN Security Council on Monday supporting what Mr Biden had announced.

The resolution noted that Israel had accepted what Mr Biden had presented and called on Hamas to do so as well.

Hamas issued a statement on Tuesday welcoming "what was included" in the resolution.

But Mr Blinken said Hamas's response was not conclusive, adding that that "what counts" is what is said by the Hamas leadership in Gaza, "and that's what we don't have".

If the proposal did not proceed then it was “on them”, he said.

  Four Palestinians were fatally shot by Israeli soldiers in the village of Kafr Nimah near Ramallah, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported on Monday.

An Israeli special force opened fire on a vehicle near the village before proceeding to storm it, which led to the outbreak of confrontations, as reported by the Palestinian official news agency WAFA.

Israeli troops raided the village of Kafr Nimah in search of a Palestinian man they accused of carrying out an arson attack on an illegal Israeli outpost.