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The U.S. authorities is making an intense effort to steer Israel and Hamas to renew negotiations to allow them to as soon as once more pause hostilities and alternate extra prisoners for hostages, a White Home spokesman mentioned on Sunday.
“We’re nonetheless working it actually onerous, hour by hour, to see if we are able to get the perimeters again to the desk and see if we are able to get one thing transferring,” John F. Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator on the White Home Nationwide Safety Council, mentioned on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We want that to occur in the present day. However truthfully, I simply don’t know.”
In appearances on a number of Sunday discuss exhibits, Mr. Kirby emphasised that Hamas was in charge for the breakdown in talks, saying that it had not lived as much as the phrases of its unique settlement to start handing over captives held in Gaza.
He mentioned Hamas had failed to supply an inventory of ladies and kids who might be launched along with the 105 hostages who had been freed in the course of the unique pause in combating. Amongst these nonetheless held are eight or 9 Individuals. Osama Hamdan, a consultant for Hamas in Lebanon, mentioned on Sunday that negotiations over the hostages wouldn’t resume till the Israeli assault stopped.
Israel has since resumed its assaults on Hamas, and Mr. Kirby urged it to keep away from civilian casualties, whereas crediting its forces with making efforts to take action. He mentioned Israeli authorities had been open to U.S. recommendation about the best way to make their assault extra exact.
“We imagine that they’ve been receptive to our messages right here by way of attempting to attenuate civilian casualties,” he mentioned on ABC’s “This Week.” He famous that Israel had revealed a map directing civilians to what it mentioned had been protected zones.
“There’s not an entire lot of recent militaries that may try this, I imply, that’s, to telegraph their punches in that approach,” he mentioned. “So they’re making an effort.”
President Biden and his administration have sought to straddle a cautious line practically two months after the Oct. 7 terrorist assault through which Hamas killed an estimated 1,200 folks in Israel and took about 240 extra hostage. Whereas supporting Israel’s proper to defend itself, the administration has additionally sought to restrain Israel from what it believes can be going too far in its response.
That led to criticism from each the left and the suitable on Sunday, as some Republicans complained that Mr. Biden’s group was attempting to carry Israel again, whereas some liberal Democrats complained that it was not doing that sufficient.
Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, singled out Protection Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III. In a speech on Saturday, Mr. Austin warned that Israel should protect civilians in Gaza and stop violence in opposition to Palestinians by Jewish settlers within the West Financial institution, as a result of in any other case “you substitute a tactical victory with a strategic defeat.”
Talking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Mr. Graham castigated Mr. Austin, a retired four-star basic who fought in Iraq. “He’s so naïve; I imply I simply misplaced all confidence on this man,” Mr. Graham mentioned.
“If we had been attacked like this, which we had been on 9/11, if any person referred to as for us inside two months to have a cease-fire in opposition to Al Qaeda, we’d have laughed them out of city, we’d have run them out of city,” Mr. Graham added. “Secretary Austin is telling Israel issues which might be unimaginable to attain.”
Mr. Graham mentioned his resolution to the hostage deadlock can be to threaten Iran, the sponsor of Hamas. “I might go to Iran and say hear, it is advisable inform Hamas to let these hostages go,” he mentioned. “When you don’t, you’re going to begin paying a heavier value.”
On the opposite facet of the ideological spectrum, Consultant Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington, mentioned on the identical program that the Biden administration had a duty to cease Israel from killing so many civilians.
“The USA can’t be backers of this sort of indiscriminate bombing — that’s my agency perception,” she mentioned. “We must always have circumstances on army help in the identical approach that we do for each different nation.”
Whereas the White Home blamed Hamas for the breakdown in hostage talks, Ms. Jayapal faulted Israel.
“Qatar has mentioned that Hamas continues to be on the desk,” she mentioned, referring to the Persian Gulf emirate that has served because the middleman for the talks. “Israel ought to nonetheless be on the desk. In truth, a few of the Israeli hostages are saying that Israel ought to nonetheless be on the desk, as a result of that is complicated negotiation and it doesn’t occur except either side are prepared to come back to some sort of an settlement.”
Hwaida Saad contributed reporting.
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