U.S. Secretary of State Blinken reveals that during negotiations for a hostage deal, the U.S. and Israel offered senior Hamas officials to leave the Strip, but Hamas also rejected these offers.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke several times today about the war in the Gaza Strip and has now revealed another detail from the negotiations in an attempt to reach a hostage release deal. Blinken revealed that during months of negotiations with the Hamas terrorist organization, the United States and Israel offered the organization's leaders to be expelled to countries outside the Gaza Strip, but Hamas refused.
According to Blinken, the proposal was made as part of negotiations for a ceasefire agreement in exchange for the release of hostages. When ceasefire proposals also did not work, the administration in the White House and Israel agreed to offer Hamas members a route to safely leave the strip as part of a hostage release deal.
But according to the Foreign Minister, just as the organization refused at every stage to reach a hostage release deal, they also refused to agree to exile.