White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on Friday commended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to send a delegation to Doha today for talks on a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
“We welcome Israel’s decision… [and] think that that’s an encouraging step,” Kirby stated during a press briefing.
While stressing that reaching an agreement “is both urgent and possible,” Kirby acknowledged that there is no significant progress to announce regarding the discussions.
"We're going to be doing everything we can to see if we can broker a new ceasefire deal again that will get the hostages home," Kirby said. "So I don't have any breakthroughs to speak to today or announcements to make about participation physically, but I can tell you that we're definitely going to stay focused on this."
Kirby clarified that there are no current plans for National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan or Middle East envoy Brett McGurk to return to the region for this new phase of talks.
However, he stressed that President Joe Biden "has made clear his national security team will be a participant all the way to the very end."
Kirby reiterated the White House’s stance that Hamas initiated this conflict, putting its own people in the current situation, and could alleviate their suffering by agreeing to the proposed deal.
Meanwhile on Friday, Hamas confirmed that indirect negotiations for a Gaza truce are set to resume in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
The statement noted that the talks would "focus on ensuring the agreement leads to a complete cessation of hostilities (and) the withdrawal of occupation forces."
In its statement, Hamas reiterated its "seriousness, positivity and commitment to reaching an agreement as soon as possible that meets the aspirations and goals of our steadfast and resilient people."
On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement confirming that the Israeli delegation will leave on Friday for negotiations in Doha, in another attempt to reach a deal that would free the hostages.
Israel and Hamas have been engaged in indirect talks, mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar, in an attempt to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal, but little progress has been recorded so far, as Hamas has rejected every proposal presented to it.
Hamas, for its part, recently blamed Israel for the lack of progress, claiming Israel presented new conditions which delayed the deal.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)