The United States is still working with mediators Egypt and Qatar to present a revised proposal for a ceasefire in the war in Gaza, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday.
Palestinians, seen through a torn tent, ride a motorized vehicle past the rubble, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, September 16, 2024. Reuters/Mohammed Salem
The United States is still working with mediators Egypt and Qatar to present a revised proposal for a ceasefire in the war in Gaza, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday.
Officials have for weeks said a new proposal would be presented soon for a deal that would include the release of hostages taken from Israel by Palestinian militants Hamas when the war began on Oct. 7.
Miller told reporters Washington was working with the mediators on what the proposal will contain and ensuring that "it's a proposal that can get the parties to an ultimate agreement."
"I don't have a timetable for you other than to say that we are working expeditiously to try to develop that proposal," Miller added.
Talks over months have so far failed to reach a deal to end war, now in its twelfth month, even after U.S. President Joe Biden in June publicly laid out a proposal that Israel had agreed to.
Hamas said last week it is ready to implement a ceasefire based on the previous proposal without any new conditions from any party.
U.S. officials say much of the deal has been agreed upon, but negotiations have been ongoing to clear two main obstacles: Israel's demand to keep its forces in the Philadelphi corridor to maintain a buffer between Gaza and Egypt, and the specifics of an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Miller confirmed those remained the main sticking points.
By Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis
A drone caused the fire that engulfed two gas vessels at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta, the Egyptian cabinet said on Thursday, confirming for the first time that the blaze which erupted a day earlier was the result of an attack rather than an accident.
A new Jewish-Arab political party is courting young voters ahead of Israel's October election. But critics say it risks weakening the bid by the already underrepresented Arab minority to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rightist government.
A group of Lebanese lawyers filed a complaint with the country's top prosecutor on Wednesday requesting an investigation into banker Antoun Sehnaoui over a dinner he allegedly co-hosted in Washington that was attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.