Washington:

The United States said on Monday it was still seeking a deal to free Gaza hostages after Israel launched a deadly attack on crowded Rafah and freed two captives, renewing its warning about wider Israeli action.

Sources familiar with the development said CIA Director William Burns was expected to hold a new round of talks in Cairo on Tuesday on the Qatar-brokered deal after Israel rejected Hamas’s initial response last week.

“There are some provisions in the proposal put forward by Hamas that are really untenable, but we do believe a deal is possible and we will continue to pursue it,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

“We believe the benefits of a moratorium and an agreement on the hostages are substantial, not only for the hostages who will be released, but also for humanitarian efforts in Gaza and our ability to begin the search for real, lasting, sustainable solutions. This conflict,” he said.

The proposal, first discussed at talks in Paris with senior officials from Israel, Qatar and Egypt, would see a temporary halt to fighting in exchange for the release of hostages by Hamas.

After talks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas’s counter-proposal and vowed to deal a “fatal blow” to militants who launched a large-scale attack inside Israel on October 7. .

Israel took back two hostages after an overnight bombing in Rafah on Monday killed about 100 people, including hostages.

The attack came hours after Netanyahu spoke by phone with President Joe Biden, who said the U.S. opposed the attack on Rafah – where more than a million Palestinians have been fighting since the start of the four-month war Refuge – without a plan for civilians. Safety.

“We do not consider this airstrike to be a full-scale attack on Rafah,” Miller said.

“We will make it clear – as we did last weekend, and as the president did in his conversations over the weekend – that we do not support a full military force without such a credible, executable plan. The action is there,” he said.

However, the United States has expressed support for “legitimate military operations” against Hamas’s leadership and forces, saying the militants bear responsibility for the conflict.

“There will be no lasting end to this crisis unless Hamas releases all the men and women they hold hostage,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at the White House.

U.S. officials declined to discuss what consequences Israel might face if it proceeds with Operation Rafah without protecting civilians.

“I’m not ruling anything out. I mean we haven’t made an assessment yet,” Miller said.

Asked whether the United States would consider cutting aid to Israel, Miller said: “You have to see … how Israel’s opponents, both inside Gaza and outside the state of Israel, will view this move.”

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