US President Joe Biden has been briefed on Hamas' response Monday to a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, and he is “aware of where the situation and where the process is,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.
The White House declined to weigh in on the specifics, saying that the US is “currently reviewing that response, and we’re discussing with our partners in the region.”
CIA Director Bill Burns was in the region and was “working in real time on the ground” on the situation, Kirby said, adding he wouldn’t be able to comment further “until we know where things stand.” He said he didn’t want to make any comments that would put the process at risk.
Earlier Monday, Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for about 30 minutes before Hamas publicly said it had accepted a deal, Kirby said.
