Hamas pushes back against US, says It wants Gaza ceasefire

Hamas said it was "keen" on reaching a cease-fire agreement with Israel, denying what it said were US claims it is stalling negotiations to end the devastating conflict in Gaza.

The Palestinian militant group Tuesday said remarks by US President Joe Biden and his top diplomat, Antony Blinken, were "misleading and don't reflect the reality of the movement's position." The comments came a day after Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said the next step toward a truce is for "Hamas to say yes." Blinken said Netanyahu had accepted a proposal the US is calling a "bridging agreement" to tide the sides over until they iron out the final details.

Hamas said the proposal was different from a Biden-led plan unveiled in May, suggesting they are unhappy with Israel's latest demands. The two sides are meant to start a new round of negotiations in Cairo this week, but no date's been set for that yet. Egypt is mediating, along with the US and Qatar.


Iran, meanwhile, said its response to the alleged Israeli killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran could take a long time. That signaled Iran won't rush an expected retaliation that has raised fears of a region-wide war. "Time is on our side and it's possible that the waiting period for this response will be long," an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman said to Iranian state TV on Tuesday.

12 killed in strike on school

In Gaza City, the civil defence agency of the embattled Gaza Strip said an Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter killed at least 12 people on Tuesday, while the Israeli military said it struck a Hamas command centre.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it retrieved the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in Gaza's southern area of Khan Younis after a battle with militants. The hostages were Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, Chaim Perry, and Avraham Munder.