ABOVE: Families and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza hold banners and flags during a protest calling for their return, outside meetings of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, June 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Israeli govt statement comes after Hamas announced it submitted a response to Qatari and Egyptian mediators expressing ‘readiness to positively’ come to a deal…

By Reuters and Times of Israel Staff

An Israeli official says that Jerusalem has received Hamas’s response to the hostage release and ceasefire deal offer presented by US President Joe Biden late last month, and that the reply from the terror group effectively rejects the proposal.

“This evening, Israel received, via the mediator, the Hamas response. In its response, Hamas has rejected the proposal for a hostage release that was presented by President Biden,” the Israeli official says, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official adds that Hamas has changed the main parameters of the proposal.

The statement comes after Hamas announced that it had submitted a response to Qatari and Egyptian mediators expressing “readiness to positively” come to a deal in the ongoing war in Gaza, sparked by the terror group’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel.

The Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad response to Israel’s latest hostage-ceasefire proposal reportedly includes amendments to the offer, including a new timeline for the hostage release and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. ##