U.S. believes Gaze cease-fire still 'achievable' after assassination of Hamas leader in Iran

The U.S. on Wednesday said it still believes a Gaza cease-fire deal is "achievable," after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran raised concerns about regional escalation and the derailment of peace talks.

"We have seen the Israelis engage in constructive conversations that we have been having about a cease-fire deal. And so we continue to believe both that a cease-fire deal is both achievable and urgent and it is something that our partners in Israel want," State Department's deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for Haniyeh's killing, has continued air and ground attacks on Gaza since the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion that killed around 1,200 people and took another 250 as hostages. The campaign since then has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians and reduced the territory to rubble. Talks for a cease-fire and return of hostages continue through mediators the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt.

Asked if it is still the U.S. assessment that Israel is engaging "constructively," Patel said: "That is still our assessment."

"We continue to believe that deal is achievable and urgent and we are continuing to work and, are committed to work to narrow those gaps and to make a deal possible," he added.

"What I can say is that our priority regionwide continues to be promoting diplomatic solution."

"Our team is continuing to work very hard to narrow and close the gaps and continue to believe a deal is possible," Patel said, adding that getting the deal done is of "vital importance" for the U.S.

"We're continuing to urge restraint to all parties to avoid an escalation into a wider regional conflict," he added.

Patel also reiterated the U.S. commitment to Israel security and "defending them from malign attacks like those from reckless regimes like the Iranian regime."

Asked if the U.S. considers the assassination of Haniyeh "Israeli aggression," Patel said the U.S. does not have any information on the incident.

Haniyeh's killing came as Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah teetered on the edge of all-out war after a rocket attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights killed 12 people.

The Israeli military blamed Hezbollah, and killed a top commander of the group in Beirut on Tuesday.