“We’ve only just gotten it. Our team is going through it,” said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.
The White House is evaluating Hamas’s response to a U.S.-led ceasefire agreement as the Biden administration attempts to broker a lasting peace settlement in the Middle East.
Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group, both of which are designated by the United States as terror organizations, said they were ready to “deal positively to arrive at an agreement” and that their priority is to bring a “complete stop” to the war.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the Biden administration received a copy of Hamas’s response shortly after it was delivered to Egyptian and Qatari officials.
“We’re in receipt of this reply that Hamas delivered to Qatar and to Egypt, and we are evaluating it right now,” Mr. Kirby told reporters during a June 11 call.
The open-ended ceasefire agreement includes several phases that, if agreed upon, would gradually implement prisoner and hostage exchanges, the removal of Israeli forces from Gazan population centers, and an end to Hamas as the political authority in the region.
The United States would act as a guarantor to ensure Israel held up its side of the agreement, while