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Added on the 06/02/2024 18:43:29 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he is hopeful Hamas would accept an "extraordinarily generous" offer to halt Israel's Gaza offensive in return for the release of hostages. SOUNDBITE
The United States says an Israel-Hamas deal to free hostages in return for a pause in fighting remains possible and would have "tremendous" benefits, after a deadly Israeli operation freed two captives. "We do believe that a deal is possible and we're going to continue to pursue it," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller tells reporters during a briefing. "We think the benefits of a pause and a deal for hostages are tremendous, not just obviously for the hostages who would be released but also for the humanitarian effort in Gaza and for our ability to begin to pursue a real and lasting, sustainable resolution of this conflict," he adds. SOUNDBITE
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and release of remaining hostages by Hamas is near the "goal line." "I believe we're inside the 10-yard line and driving toward the goal line" on an "agreement that would produce a ceasefire, get the hostages home, and put us on a better track to trying to build lasting peace and stability," Blinken says at a forum in Colorado. SOUNDBITE
Israelis protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem to demand a hostage deal after Hamas said it had accepted a proposal for a truce in the seven-month-old war in Gaza. IMAGES
Hundreds of Israeli protesters gather around a fire set outside the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv as they rally to demand early elections and a deal to release hostages held in Gaza since Hamas's October 7 attacks. IMAGES