US: Gaza ceasefire deal still “achievable and urgent” – Official

Despite the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier Wednesday, the US Department of State believes the imperative of getting a ceasefire in Gaza Strip still remains. Speaking to reporters, the Dept.'s Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said, "We continue to be in touch with governments in the region, you all have seen calls from the secretary readouts of calls that he's had with regional partners." "Our priority continues to be to promote diplomatic solutions for a more peaceful, secure and integrated region and that of course, includes continuing to engage and work very hard to close the remaining gaps as it relates to the ceasefire in Gaza, getting this deal done bringing the hostages home getting an influx of humanitarian aid, ending the violence in Gaza, it remains incredibly important and I'm not going to speculate on any potential impacts continues to be a priority for the United States. "We know it's a priority for regional partners," Patel noted. "We know it's a priori ty for Israel, and so we'll continue to work at it in Egypt, which has acted as mediators and talks to justice must be doing this around further jeopardize efforts just purchase in Gaza to share that concern.-- "What I can say is that our priority region-wide continues to be promoting diplomatic solutions for a peaceful and secure region. -- "We continue to believe a deal is possible getting a deal done is of vital importance for so many reasons that I've spent much of this week talking about whether it be bringing hostages home, whether it's getting an influx of humanitarian aid, being able to partake in diplomacy to get the cycle this region out of a cycle of violence," Patel went on. "So for all those reasons, and more, this is incredibly important, and we'll remain focused on that," he stressed. He commended the State of Qatar as "an irreplaceable partner" throughout this whole conflict dating back to even October 7 and beyond and that continues to be the case "We're continuing to urge restraint to all parties to avoid an escalation into a wider regional conflict. - "What I can say is that the United States unequivocally is focused on continuing its work to close the gaps. We think that getting a deal done. It's not just in the United States interest. It's in the region's interest," the principal deputy spokesperson noted. "There continue to be ways in which we can continue to engage with Hamas and Israel appropriately as it relates to the contours of the deal in that work. -- what I can say is that the United States is squarely focused on is getting a deal done. -- "I can tell you that the imperative of getting a ceasefire, the importance that that has for everyone, remains. "And we will continue to labor at that for as long as it takes to get there. It's vitally important to help end the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. "It's vitally important to getting the hostages home - including a number of Americans. "It's vitally important to hopefully putting things on a better path for more enduring peace, for more enduring security," Patel added. Source: Kuwait News Agency