The United States said it had begun “assessing” a formal response from Hamas to its Gaza ceasefire proposal.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is continuing to try to rally global support for a UN Security Council resolution backing a ceasefire proposal between Palestinian militants and Israel.
Hamas officials said on Tuesday (11 June) that they had submitted a written response to Egyptian and Qatari intermediaries seeking “corrections”, adding that their top priority was to ensure a “complete halt” to the fighting.
Meanwhile, Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha said the response was “ceasefire, withdrawal, reconstruction. [prisoner] exchange”.
On Tuesday (June 11), US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Washington had received a response from Hamas and was “currently assessing it.”
Speaking on the second day of his Middle East visit, Blinken said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “reaffirmed his commitment” to the proposal.
Blinken met with Israeli opposition leaders on Tuesday (June 11) and also consulted with families of hostages ahead of his visit to Jordan to hold an emergency summit on humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Mass displacement of residents in the Gaza Strip has put more than one million people at risk of starvation.
At the meeting, Mr Blinken announced an additional $404 million (£317 million) in humanitarian funding for Gaza and urged other countries to donate more.
US announces ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas
US President Joe Biden announced the ceasefire agreement at the end of May and the UN endorsed it on Monday (June 10).
WATCH: Israeli war: Hamas proposes new timeline for ceasefire, offers amendments to US-backed proposal
Biden presented the agreement as an Israeli proposal, calling previously unworkable ceasefire proposals “unworkable.”
The proposal calls for initially exchanging elderly, sick and female hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees held by Israel.
The ceasefire is aimed at ending hostilities permanently, with the second phase ensuring the release of all hostages.
Disclaimer: WION takes every care to accurately and responsibly report on the ongoing situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict following the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
(With input from relevant agencies)
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Prisha
Prisha is a Digital Journalist at WION, mostly covering International Politics, She loves to delve into and explore different cultures and history.
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