The Hamas terrorist organization has refused to take part in negotiations for a hostage release-ceasefire deal for the past several weeks, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday.
"Hamas has been unwilling to come to the table to engage the past several weeks," Miller said. "So yes, it’s true that we have not been able to advance these ceasefire talks, but it’s not because of any lack of effort by the United States or our partners in the region. It’s because the terrorist organization that Iran has sponsored for years and years and years has refused to come to the table.
"So if Iran wants to use the breakdown of ceasefire talks as an excuse for its actions today, it needs to point to the terrorist group that it controls," he continued. "It’s Hamas that has been responsible in recent weeks for the breakdown of those talks."
He added the Gaza-based terror group had stopped engaging with Egyptian and Qatari mediators. He also said that Israel would have to make difficult decisions regarding the deal, but that "right now and for the past few weeks, it’s been Hamas being unwilling to engage in any meaningful way with the mediators that has kept us from moving towards an agreement."