From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 12, 2024
US says rescue op should have no impact on hostages talks
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US State Department spokesman Matt Miller says Israel is “well within its rights” to conduct operations to rescue the hostages, as they did last night.
He adds that the operation “should in no way impact the negotiations” ongoing to secure the release of the remaining 134 hostages.
Meanwhile, senior Hamas official in Beirut Osama Hamdan says that Israel’s latest offer for a hostage deal is “a step back from the offer drafted in Paris,” proving that Israel “isn’t serious in pursuing the hostages’ release.”
According to him, Hamas delegation is currently in Cairo discussing Israel’s responses to the proposal formulated in Paris. Hamdan added that Israel is “imposing obstacles that prevent reaching an agreement.”
