The US expressed cautious optimism about the latest round of ceasefire talks in Doha, Qatar, and a proposed deal from Hamas, despite the Israeli prime minister’s office calling it “unrealistic.”
The most recent proposal from Hamas is “certainly within the bounds of – in broad brushstrokes – within the bounds of the deal that we’ve been working on now for several months. I don’t want to go into more detail than that,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.
The US, he noted, is not participating in next week’s in-person meetings in Doha, but has been involved in the conversations and will “stay engaged.”
“The fact that we’re physically not going to have a delegation there should not be taken as any kind of signal that this isn’t a serious, positive move forward. We think it could be,” he told CNN.
While he was optimistic, he acknowledged the agonizing process for the families of hostages as they watch the process take its course: “It’s just another set of agonizing days to wait, and we understand that, too. … We’re cautiously optimistic that things are moving in a good direction, but that that doesn’t mean that it’s done, and we’re going to have to stay at this to the very, very end.”