Israel claims Hamas rejected hostage and ceasefire deal proposal

• Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Mayadeen on Tuesday that Hamas' official response included several comments on the Israeli proposal.
• The Israeli officials did not say what aspects of the proposal they're claiming Hamas rejected.

The latest: Qatar and Egypt issued a joint statement Tuesday confirming they received a response from Hamas and other Palestinian groups about the Israeli proposal.

• Qatar and Egypt said in the statement that they will continue their mediation efforts together with the U.S. in order to reach an agreement.
• "The mediators will study Hamas' response and will coordinate with the relevant parties regarding next steps," the statement said.
• White House spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. also received Hamas' response and is evaluating it.

Driving the news: Secretary of State Tony Blinken is in the region to continue pushing for a deal. He met on Monday in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

• "I met with Prime Minister Netanyahu last night, and he reaffirmed his commitment to the proposal," Blinken told reporters on Tuesday.
• Blinken stressed that after meeting several senior Israeli officials he is confident there is a strong consensus about moving forward with the proposal.
• When asked if he got explicit assurance that if Hamas accepts the proposal, the deal is done, Blinken responded: "Yes."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.