White House national security spokesman John Kirby told CNN on Wednesday that the US is “cautiously optimistic” about the Gaza ceasefire talks, and said differences between the two sides could narrow.
Key quotes
When Kirby was asked if a ceasefire agreement was near, he said, “We are optimistic that things are moving in a good direction.”
“There are still gaps between the two sides. We believe these gaps can be narrowed, and that’s what Brett McGurk and CIA Director Bill Burns are trying to do right now,” he said.
why is it important?
In late May, President Joe Biden proposed a three-step plan aimed at achieving a ceasefire, the release of hostages in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and reconstruction of the coastal zone.
Burns and US Middle East envoy McGurk are in the Middle East to meet with regional counterparts to discuss a ceasefire agreement.
Context
Hamas has accepted a key part of the US plan, dropping its demand that Israel commit to a permanent ceasefire before signing the agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that the deal should not prevent Israel from resuming fighting as long as its war aims are met. At the start of the war, he promised to destroy Hamas.
Netanyahu told McGurk on Wednesday that he was committed to ensuring a ceasefire agreement in Gaza was reached provided Israel’s red lines were respected, his office said.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on October 7 when militants led by Hamas, which controls Gaza, attacked southern Israel. They killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage, according to Israeli figures.
The Gaza health ministry says more than 38,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Israel’s assault on the coastal territory, displacing a population of about 2.3 million, triggering a famine crisis and prompting accusations of genocide that Israel denies.
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