hamas has not confirmed the claim and said the proposal opens up a wide pathway to reach an agreement. from jerusalem, our middle east correspondent hugo bachega has more. hamas has expressed readiness to reach a deal, but it s sticking to its initial demands, and they include a guarantee that there will be a permanent ceasefire in gaza, and also the complete withdrawal of israeli forces from the territory. now, qatar and egypt, which have been mediating the talks, say they have received this response from hamas, and that they will co ordinate the next steps in these negotiations with the united states. now, the deal being discussed is a three stage plan that was announced by president biden. he described it as an israeli proposal. the first stage of this plan would see the release of hostages being held in gaza, and then pave the way for a permanent ceasefire. now, hamas wants a guarantee of a permanent ceasefire because they fear that once the hostages are out, the israe
leadership vacuum they say several other major challenges including a battle of raising the debt ceiling and the threat of another government shutdown and whoever becomes the next speaker will have to handle it. eric? kristen, always put his family first. we ll see what his decision will be. thank you. eric, an army officer recommending that sergeant bowe bergdahl face no jailtime. this according to his lawyer. insaid the officer decided bergdahl should face a lower level court-martial that could possibly allow him to walk free. sergeant bergdahl is charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. he was captured by the taliban after leaving his post in afghanistan back in june of 2009, and returned to the u.s. last year following a controversial prison swap. and north korea s flexing its military muscle in celebration, and as a warning to the rest of the world. supreme leader kim jong un taking part in a lavish parade