“There are still dozens of hostages in Gaza waiting for an agreement to bring them home. It’s time to make that agreement,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
He stressed that “the Israeli people cannot wait any longer. The Palestinian people, who are also suffering the terrible consequences of this war, cannot wait any longer. The world cannot wait any longer.”
He pointed out that “in the coming days, the United States will continue to communicate with its partners in the region with the aim of reaching a final agreement,” referring to Qatar and Egypt, which have been leading mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas with Washington for months.
Mediation countries are seeking to reach a ceasefire in the Strip and an exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Apart from a week-long truce in late November, no understanding has been reached as both sides in the conflict stick to their demands.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday refused to “give in” to mounting internal and external pressure to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and pledged to continue fighting to achieve the goals of the war, which is approaching its eleventh month.
Netanyahu’s position came after popular protests that Israel witnessed since Sunday, accompanied by a partial strike on Monday in some towns and economic sectors, after the army announced the discovery of the bodies of six hostages in southern Gaza.
Netanyahu stressed his commitment to a ceasefire under the conditions he deems appropriate to achieve the war’s goals, most notably maintaining an Israeli military presence on the border strip between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, known as the “Philadelphi Corridor.”
In contrast, Hamas is sticking to several demands, most notably the complete Israeli withdrawal from the Strip and the return of the displaced to their areas.
“We oppose a long-term presence of Israeli military forces in Gaza,” the US State Department spokesman said Tuesday.
Miller stressed that “achieving an agreement requires both parties to show flexibility. Both parties must look for reasons to say yes rather than reasons to say no.”
US President Joe Biden, whose country is Israel’s closest ally, said Netanyahu was not making enough efforts to reach an agreement to return the hostages from the Strip.
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