“A deal is in the interest of Israel, it’s in the interest of the Palestinian people and it’s in the interest of the broader region. So we’re going to continue to push for one,” he said.

Miller refused to be drawn on what the sticking points blocking a breakthrough were but denied the talks were at an impasse, insisting that they were “ongoing.”

However, he said Israel had “put forward a serious proposal on the table and it is for Hamas to accept it.”

“It’s also for Hamas to engage in good faith and show that they actually want to get a deal and we will continue to engage in good faith on our behalf and continue to try to get a deal over the finish line.”

Asked if anything he had seen in recent days might indicate Hamas did not want a deal, Miller said it was difficult to ever say that a terrorist organization that attacks innocent civilians was “acting wholly in good faith,” but stressed that it was a negotiation, the details of which he would not be revealing.

He also made no mention of Ramadan, which begins Saturday, the de facto deadline for a cease-fire deal to be struck after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent shudders through Western capitals by pledging to launch an all-out ground offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah by March 10.

The latest comments from the State Department came as the Hamas delegation on Thursday temporarily withdrew from four days’ of negotiations in Cairo over a proposed six-week cease-fire and an Israeli-hostages-for-Palestinian-prisoners swap.

“The Hamas delegation left Cairo today to consult with the movement’s leadership, as negotiations and efforts continue to stop the aggression, return the displaced, and bring relief aid to our Palestinian people,” Hamas said in a statement.

CNN quoted Hamas sources as saying the sticking points to reaching a deal were that the group wanted a permanent cease-fire, people displaced to other parts of Gaza to be able to return home and an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza.