Hamas leadership has rejected the Biden administration’s proposal for a hostage and ceasefire deal to resolve the war in Gaza, two Israeli sources told Axios on Tuesday.
The White House measure, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council on Monday, would have included a three-phase program to end the fighting in the coastal enclave, return Jewish captives to their families, and release several hundred Palestinian security prisoners held by Israel.
The sources did not elaborate on what conditions Hamas objected to, as a spokesperson for the terror group told Al Mayadeen that their response included several unresolved issues.
Officials from Egypt and Qatar, who have been working as mediators on the agreement, said in a statement that they will continue their efforts to find a resolution to the eight-month-long conflict.
U.S. National Security Spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that American negotiators have received Hamas’s comments, and they are currently under evaluation.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the developments.
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