The US government has sharply criticized warnings from Israel regarding a Gaza ceasefire agreement. Specifically, the statement by Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on the negotiations was described as “outrageous and absurd” by White House national security spokesman John Kirby. “I just want to underscore how wrong this is, not only in substance, but also jeopardizing the lives of the hostages and running counter to Israel’s own national security interests,” he said. Smotrich had labelled a Gaza deal as a “dangerous trap” following the demand by mediators US, Qatar and Egyp…