Netanyahu surprised by Trump’s response to Hamas statement: Axios

‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was surprised by President Donald Trump's reaction to Hamas's response to the American peace plan, according to a senior ‘Israeli’ official cited by Axios.

Read more: Hamas officially responds to Trump’s Gaza proposal

Netanyahu Saw Hamas's Response as a “Refusal”

In consultations held last night, Netanyahu reportedly said that he views Hamas's response as a complete "refusal" of Trump's plan.

According to the official, Netanyahu instructed that ‘Israel's’ response must be coordinated with the US to ensure that it is not established as Hamas having given a positive reply to Trump’s peace proposal.

Read more: Trump: Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza

“Positive Response”

The official noted that the ‘Israeli’ negotiating team dealing with the captive issue actually saw Hamas's response as a "positive response that opens a pathway to reaching a deal."