Kirby: We await official response from Hamas for ceasefire

In a press conference last night, U.S. National Security Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby stated that President Biden's ceasefire proposal was conveyed to Hamas on May 30, and they are awaiting a formal response.

Kirby said, “I want you to note the comments that Hamas leaders made on Friday; they welcomed the President's speech. Now they have received this offer; they received it on Thursday night. We are waiting for a formal response from them. They should accept the deal. It will give them what they are looking for, which is a ceasefire and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza over time.”

The President Asked for a Public Announcement

Kirby pointed out that previous agreement proposals have not been made public, but Biden specifically asked for this proposal to be made public.

Kirby said, “It's good for the people of Gaza, it's good for the people of Israel. They need to move forward on this. The President thought it was important to make it public. As you know, we don't usually go into the details of these kinds of proposals. But in this case, given where we are, given how long the hostages have been held, given the fact that Hamas has turned down offers that have been sent to them several times before, and given the fact that the Israelis have worked really hard to come up with this offer and have done so in good faith, the President thought it was important to make it public for the first time.”