2 men charged with distributing drugs that killed transgender activist Cecilia Gentili, prosecutors say
California sues ExxonMobil and says it lied about plastics recycling
Toyota cheated on forklift engine emissions, lawsuit in US claims
Top U.N. officials on Gaza: 'These atrocities must end'
Researchers uncover remains of Ice Age mastodons in Peru
US sends additional forces to Middle East as tensions soar, Pentagon says
Blackrock secures Italy's approval to hold more than 3% in Leonardo
Stephen & Evie Colbert offer a cookbook that's also a window on their lives
What detail political author says is 'unusual' about Melania Trump's paid appearance
The 2025 Tony Awards set June 8 ceremony date at Radio City Music Hall
CAIRO (Reuters) - Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said on Wednesday that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is blaming the delay of a Gaza ceasefire agreement on the Palestinian group unfairly.
Blinken, meeting Israeli leaders to discuss how to get more aid into Gaza, has repeatedly urged Hamas to accept an offer from Israel that will release hostages and achieve a ceasefire, describing it as "extraordinarily generous".
"Blinken's comments contradict reality. It is not strange for Blinken, who is known as the foreign minister of Israel, not America, to make such a statement," Abu Zuhri told Reuters.
"Even the Israeli negotiating team admitted Netanyahu was the one who was hindering reaching an agreement," he added.
Abu Zuhri said that the group was still studying the recent ceasefire offer. Hamas is seeking a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, while Netanyahu says Israel needs to destroy the remaining Hamas formations in Rafah in southern Gaza for its own security, with or without a deal with Hamas.
(Reporting by Nidal al Mughrabi; Writing by Jana Choukeir; Editing by Alison Williams and Philippa Fletcher)
