U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken has arrived in Jordan as negotiations continue over a proposed 40-day ceasefire and a deal to release more hostages held in Gaza. Blinken urged Hamas to accept the current proposal.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken: “Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel. And in this moment, the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas. They have to decide, and they have to decide quickly.”
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan criticized Blinken’s comment. Hamdan told Al Jazeera, “Stopping the attacks against Palestinians is not generous. The attack itself is a crime, so when you stop a crime, you can’t claim that it’s a generous action from the Israeli side.” Hamas officials are reviewing the current proposal.