White House national security communications adviser John Kirby expressed confidence on Thursday morning that a cease-fire and hostage exchange deal could still be implemented by Sunday, despite ongoing challenges. Kirby stated that while there is a deal in place, some details still need to be finalized, with efforts underway to address these issues in collaboration with Israeli counterparts.
Confusion arose when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of creating a last-minute crisis to derail the settlement, contradicting earlier confirmations from the U.S. and Qatar. Netanyahu claimed that Hamas was reneging on agreed-upon terms, leading to a delay in the deal's approval.
However, Kirby emphasized that the deal had not collapsed and reiterated the commitment to resolving any remaining issues. He acknowledged the concerns raised by the Israeli prime minister but remained optimistic about overcoming the challenges to move forward with the agreement.
Netanyahu postponed a cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday pending confirmation from mediators that Hamas had accepted all aspects of the deal. Despite the setback, Kirby maintained that efforts were ongoing to address the last-minute hurdles and ensure the successful implementation of the agreement.
