Good truce deal on table, ball in Hamas’s court – top US diplomat

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Hamas has been presented a “very serious offer” for a truce and hostage deal that “should be accepted.”

“Hamas could end all of this immediately and get a ceasefire that would benefit the people of Gaza and get the hostages homes. The fact that it continues to not say ‘yes’ is a reflection of what it really thinks about the people of Gaza, which is not much at all,” Blinken says at a Washington press conference with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

Hamas “has an opportunity now to agree to the proposal on a ceasefire and hostages. The ball is in Hamas’s court. The world is watching to see what it does,” Blinken says.

“So much of the understandable outrage and anger is directed at Israel for the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, but some of that might also need to be directed at Hamas. It is astounding to me that the world is almost deafeningly silent when it comes to Hamas.”

“We wouldn’t be where we are today had Hamas not chosen to engage in one of the most horrific acts of terrorism on October 7 and had they having done that not refused this many months to stop hiding behind civilian, put down their arms, release hostages and surrender. Where is the outrage there?”

Asked whether he agrees with the assessment made by Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s mother Rachel that the brokers have thus far failed, Blinken says, “Until the day that Hersh is home, we will have not succeeded.”