Gaza:
The United States said on Monday it was reviewing a Hamas response to a ceasefire proposal as it renewed calls for Israel not to attack the crowded Gaza city of Rafah.
“I can confirm that Hamas has responded. We are now reviewing that response and discussing it with our partners in the region,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
CIA Director Bill Burns “is working on this in real time in the region,” Miller said.
He declined to characterize Hamas' response, which the militants said was an acceptance of a ceasefire, but said the United States supported an agreement to stop the fighting and free hostages.
“We continue to believe that a hostage agreement is in the best interest of the Israeli people; it is in the best interest of the Palestinian people,” Miller said.
As the United States assesses Hamas's response, President Joe Biden's administration renewed calls for Israel not to attack Rafah after it issued evacuation orders.
“We have not seen a humanitarian plan that is credible and actionable,” Miller said.
“We believe that a military operation in Rafah at this time would dramatically increase the suffering of the Palestinian people (and) lead to greater loss of civilian lives,” he said.
Biden spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier Monday, with the White House saying the president reiterated his “clear” position on Rafah.
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