Two Israeli officials have told Axios that Hamas has turned down an Israeli proposal for a hostage and ceasefire deal. The proposal was first outlined by President Biden in a speech two weeks ago, and since then, the White House has been working to build international pressure on Hamas to accept the deal.

According to senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan, the organization has submitted an official response to the proposal, which includes several comments and concerns. However, the Israeli officials did not specify which aspects of the proposal Hamas rejected.

In a joint statement, Qatar and Egypt confirmed receiving a response from Hamas and other Palestinian groups regarding the Israeli proposal. The two nations, along with the United States, will continue their mediation efforts to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.

White House spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the US has also received Hamas’ response and is currently evaluating it. Secretary of State Tony Blinken is currently in the region, meeting with key leaders to push for a deal. He met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, reaffirming their commitment to the proposal.

Blinken expressed confidence in the strong consensus among senior Israeli officials to move forward with the proposal. When asked if he received explicit assurance that the deal would be finalized if Hamas accepts the proposal, Blinken responded affirmatively.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)