Washington –
The United States (USA) believes that Israel and Hamas still have a chance to reach a cease-fire agreement in Gaza, Palestine. However, the US remains concerned that war will break out after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Reported by AFP, Wednesday (7/8/2024), the US stressed that it was still engaged in ‘intense diplomacy’ to prevent further escalation after Iran threatened retaliation for killing Haniyeh.
Hamas has named Yahya Sinwar as its new leader. He is said to be the mastermind behind the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. This attack was then used as an excuse for Israel to launch a massive attack on Gaza, killing around 40 thousand Palestinians.
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“We are close to reaching an agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
US officials said an agreement had been reached and urged Israel and Hamas to accept the current proposal that led to a six-week ceasefire.
On Tuesday, the White House said talks had “reached the final stages” in a readout of a phone conversation between US President Joe Biden and the leaders of Qatar and Egypt, but did not elaborate.
The US is now trying to prevent war in the region. The US has sent aircraft and warships to the area to protect Israel if necessary.
“We are engaged in very intense diplomacy throughout the region,” Kirby said.
Kirby said he would not ‘talk about intelligence assessments’ about when or if Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah would attack Israel. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had told US ally Iran and Israel not to escalate the conflict.
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2024-08-07 16:38:31
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