By Diyar Guldogan
WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Bide said Friday that no one in the Middle East should undermine efforts to reach a cease-fire deal in the Gaza Strip.
"I am sending Secretary (of State Antony) Blinken to Israel to reaffirm my iron-clad support for Israel’s security, continue our intensive efforts to conclude this agreement and to underscore that with the comprehensive ceasefire and hostage release deal now in sight," Biden said in a statement.
The statement came after the US, Egypt and Qatar announced they had presented Israel and Hamas with what they called a "bridging proposal" to further narrow "remaining gaps in the manner that allows for a swift implementation of the deal."
Biden said he received an update from his negotiating team on the ground in the Qatari capital, Doha, and directed it to put forward the comprehensive bridging proposal presented Friday, which offers the basis for coming to a final agreement on a cease-fire and hostage release deal.
"I spoke separately with (Qatari) Amir Sheikh Tamim and (Egyptian) President Sisi to review the significant progress made in Doha over the past two days of talks, and they expressed the strong support of Qatar and Egypt for the U.S. proposal as co-mediators in this process," he said.
The teams will remain on the ground to continue technical work in the coming days, and senior officials will again convene in Cairo before the end of the week, he added.