President Joe Biden on Friday detailed a three-phase deal offered by Israel to Hamas militants that he said would lead to the release of remaining hostages in Gaza and could end the nearly eight-month-old war.
Joe Biden added that Hamas is “no longer capable” of carrying out another large-scale attack on Israel, while urging Israelis and Hamas to reach an agreement to release remaining hostages for a ceasefire. prolonged fire.
The Democratic president, in his remarks from the White House, called the proposal “a road map toward a lasting ceasefire and the release of all hostages.”
Joe Biden said the first phase of the proposed deal would last six weeks and include a “total and complete ceasefire,” a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all densely populated areas of Gaza and the liberation of a certain number of hostages, including women, the elderly and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The American hostages would be released at this point and the bodies of the killed hostages would be returned to their families. Humanitarian aid would be able to increase in the first phase, with 600 trucks allowed into Gaza daily.
The second phase would include the release of all remaining hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
“And as long as Hamas respects its commitments, the temporary ceasefire will become, in the terms of the Israeli proposal, ‘the permanent cessation of hostilities,’” Mr. Biden said.
The third phase calls for the start of major reconstruction of Gaza, which will take decades to rebuild due to the devastation caused by the war.
The four and a half page Israeli proposal was transmitted to Hamas on Thursday.
A difficult implementation
President Biden acknowledged that it would be difficult to keep the Israeli proposal on track, saying there were a number of “details to negotiate” to move from the first phase to the second.
One hurdle to overcome in the first phase would involve both sides agreeing on the ratio of hostages to prisoners to be released in the next phase, a senior Joe Biden administration official told reporters who wished to preserve his anonymity.
Joe Biden’s remarks come as the Israeli military confirmed its forces are now operating in central parts of Rafah as part of its offensive in the southern Gaza city. The US president called the moment “decisive”. He added that Hamas has said it wants a ceasefire and that a phased deal with Israel is an opportunity to prove “if it really means it.”
But even as Mr. Biden insisted that “the war ends and the new day begins,” Israeli officials made clear they remained committed to defeating Hamas militarily.
The Democrat is in the midst of a tough re-election battle and has faced backlash from some on the political left who want to see him exert greater pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to end the war. END.
Mr. Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that he had authorized the Israeli hostage negotiation team to find a way to free the remaining hostages. But Israel says “the war will only end when all of our goals are achieved, including the return of all our abductees and the elimination of Hamas’ military and government capabilities.”
Israel’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said earlier this week that he “expects seven more months of fighting” to destroy the military and government capabilities of Hamas and the smaller militant group. of Islamic Jihad.
Hamas said in a statement that it welcomed the proposal presented by Washington and called on the Israelis to declare their explicit commitment to an agreement that includes a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal Israeli troops from Gaza, a prisoner exchange and other conditions.
Israel’s actions criticized
Israel faces growing international criticism for its strategy of systematic destruction of Gaza, which is causing enormous casualties. Israeli bombings and ground offensives in the besieged territory have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
Joe Biden also addressed those in Israel who are opposed to ending the war. Some members of Mr. Netanyahu’s far-right coalition have expressed disagreement with any deal that fails to eradicate Hamas and called for a lasting occupation of Gaza.
“They want to continue fighting for years and hostages are not a priority for them,” lamented Mr. Biden. I urged Israeli leaders to support this agreement.”
The US president made no mention of the creation of a Palestinian state in his remarks, which he said is essential to achieving lasting peace in the region.
The US administration is also working to bring about normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, the two largest powers in the region. But the Saudis are opposed to any agreement that does not provide concrete steps towards the creation of a Palestinian state.
Israel launched its war in Gaza after an unprecedented Hamas raid in southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostages. Israel says around 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more.
Ceasefire negotiations have stalled despite a strong effort by the United States and other mediators to reach a deal they hope would avert an Israeli invasion of the southern town of Rafah .
Negotiations have been blocked by a central sticking point: Hamas is demanding guarantees that the war will end and Israeli troops will completely withdraw from Gaza in exchange for the release of all hostages, a demand Israel rejects.
The broad outlines of the new Israeli proposal are “almost identical to Hamas’ own proposals from just a few weeks ago,” according to the Biden administration official.
