US: Hamas rejected latest hostage deal offer and remains the obstacle to Gaza ceasefire
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Hamas is the barrier to a ceasefire in Gaza, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says.
Israel moved in a “significant way” to submit a reasonable proposal in the ongoing hostage talks, Miller says during a briefing.
“There’s a deal on the table that would achieve much of what Hamas claims it wants to achieve, and they have not taken that deal,” Miller says.
“The bottom line is that they have rejected it, and if they did accept it, it would allow for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza of at least six weeks, which would benefit the Palestinian people whom they claim to represent. It would also allow us to continue improvements in the delivery of humanitarian assistance.”
“The bottom line is Hamas needs to take that deal, and they need to explain to the world and to the Palestinian people why they aren’t taking it because it is Hamas right now that is the barrier and the obstacle to a ceasefire in Gaza,” he says.
