Jerusalem – Ma’an – The US State Department said, “We are engaging with Israel, Egypt and Qatar to continue negotiations because a ceasefire is in the interest of Israel and the region.”

“The ceasefire in Gaza is in the interest of both Palestinians and Israelis,” she added.

“There is a moral and security imperative for Israel to reduce the number of civilian casualties in Gaza,” she continued.

“Israel accepted the American proposal and we are working to bridge the gap, and this requires greater flexibility from Israel and Hamas,” she said.

“We stress that settlements are not in accordance with international law and we have made that clear to the Israelis,” she said.

“Israel has the right to launch a campaign targeting militants in the West Bank, but it must abide by international law,” she said.

“We made it clear to the Israelis that their operation in the West Bank should target militants and not be collective punishment,” she said.

Source: Maan News Agency