US 'evaluating' Hamas response to Gaza truce plan
Washington has received the "reply that Hamas delivered to Qatar and to Egypt, and we are evaluating it right now," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists, while declining to provide details on its content.
- Diplomacy
- AFP
- Published Date: 11:38 | 11 June 2024
- Modified Date: 11:38 | 11 June 2024
The United States is "evaluating" an official response by Hamas to the latest proposal for a truce in the Gaza conflict, the White House said Tuesday.
Washington has received the "reply that Hamas delivered to Qatar and to Egypt, and we are evaluating it right now," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists, while declining to provide details on its content.
The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been engaged in months of behind-the-scenes negotiations over details for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad said in a statement Tuesday that their response to the truce proposal called for a "complete halt" to Gaza "aggression."
Gaza is suffering through its bloodiest-ever war, which broke out after Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 37,164 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the territory's health ministry.