Hamas Studying Paris Ceasefire Proposal

Bloomberg reporting that Hamas is studying the ceasefire and hostage exchange proposal devised in meetings between security officials in Paris, France over the weekend.

• Hamas said in a statement on Telegram that their, "priority is stopping the war and full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza strip."
• Axios outlinesthe three-phase agreement and notes that, "a meeting will be held in Cairo with Hamas officials in the coming days..."
• Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed al Thani, a key intermediary, yesterday pushed against suggestions that Doha can exert influence over Hamas - taken by observers as managing expectations for a full ratification of the agreement.
• The developments in Paris come as the US calibrates a response to Sunday's lethal attack from an Iran-backed militants on US personnel in Jordan. US officials have been opaque about their response but multiple options, including a retaliatory strike inside Iran, remain on the table.
• Politico reports: "Biden is considering retaliatory strikes against Iran, including large-scale attacks on Iranian and proxy targets in Syria and Iraq, as well as targeting Iranian naval assets."
• As US officials are likely cognizant that a ceasefire agreement appears the most credible pathway to diffusing tensions, the response may be more likely to target the militant groups in Iraq to avoid an intensification of hostilities from Iran's proxies, including the Houthis in the Red Sea.
• Yesterday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “...we have not seen a situation as dangerous as the one we’re facing now across the region since at least 1973, and arguably even before that.”