BREAKING NEWS

US: still no response from Hamas to hostage deal

Hamas has yet to respond to the proposal for a deal to release hostages in Gaza, US National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told reporters in Washington on Friday.

"We are still waiting on a response from Hamas. We're still hopeful that they'll do the right thing. They need to do the right thing. They need to accept this first proposal.  "So we can get the ceasefire in place and get those hostages out and that's as far as I know, that's that's still where we are," Kirby said.

He referred to a deal for the release of some 40 of the remaining 133 hostages in exchange for a six-week ceasefire.