Blinken: We are Reviewing Hamas' Response and Have Informed the Israelis

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken affirmed during a joint press conference with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani that they are in the process of "reviewing Hamas' response to the framework agreement regarding hostages and discussing it with the Israeli government." He stated, "The war must end, and the conflict in the region should not expand. We are in communication with all regional and international parties to prevent the escalation of the crisis. It is essential to reach a ceasefire and work towards ending the conflict by resolving the hostage crisis. The way to solve the region's crises is to achieve a just resolution to the Palestinian issue and end the war on Gaza. The best way forward toward a prolonged period of calm is through an agreement on hostages." He continued, "The U.S. is committed to using any ceasefire to continue building on the diplomatic path towards achieving a just and lasting peace." He also added, "I discussed with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia the ways to move forward for the entire region," emphasizing that "the Crown Prince reiterated the Kingdom's significant interest in continuing normalization with Israel."