Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 2, 2024
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 2, 2024
US: There hasn’t been any movement on hostage deal in recent days; ball in Hamas’s court
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Protesters hold a banner reading 'It's either Rafah or the hostages: Choose life' as they block the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv during a demonstration calling for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, May 2, 2024. (Dor Pazuelo/Flash90)
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says, “There has not been any movement [in the hostage negotiations] in the past few days.”
“There is a proposal on the table that answers much of the demands that Hamas made in previous rounds of negotiations. Israel made a significant offer in this last proposal that went forward [in which] they compromised on many long held positions that they had taken. It met many of the demands that Hamas had said they needed to agree to a deal, so we believe it’s now incumbent upon them to take the deal,” Miller says.
“Hamas is the only barrier to a ceasefire right now and immediate ceasefire, and we were waiting their response,” he adds.
