Biden outlines Israeli ceasefire proposal for Gaza war

US President Joe Biden on Friday presented a new Israeli proposal for a ceasefire deal with Hamas, describing it as a “road map” for a “sustainable ceasefire” in Gaza that would guarantee liberation of some 128 hostages. who remain in Hamas captivity.

US President Joe Biden on Friday presented a new Israeli proposal for a ceasefire deal with Hamas, describing it as a “road map” for a “sustainable ceasefire” in Gaza that would guarantee liberation of some 128 hostages. who remain in Hamas captivity.

Speaking from the White House, Biden outlined a proposed deal yet, one of the most detailed, aimed at putting pressure on both Hamas and far-right members of the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu so that they accept the agreement. Negotiators from the United States, Qatar and Egypt sought for months, unsuccessfully, to reach a deal between Israel and the militant group to secure a pause in the fighting and the release of the remaining hostages.

“Everyone who wants peace now must raise their voices and let leaders know that they must accept this deal,” Biden said. “Strive to make it real, make it sustainable and forge a better future after the tragic terrorist attacks and war,” he added.

Qatar transmitted the four-and-a-half page proposal to Hamas on Thursday, according to a senior Biden administration official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity under conditions set by the White House.

The first phase of the Israeli proposal would see a six-week ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from densely populated areas of Gaza. It would also allow Palestinian civilians to return home throughout the enclave, including the north.

This would be accompanied by an increase in humanitarian aid of at least 600 trucks per day – the number US officials say is necessary to adequately address the threat of famine – as well as the delivery of hundreds of thousands of temporary shelters, including housing. units.

The first stage of the deal would also see the release of a number of Israeli hostages, including women, the elderly and the wounded, in exchange for “hundreds” of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, according to Biden.

During the six-week ceasefire, Israel and Hamas would continue to negotiate phase two of the proposed deal, which would involve a permanent end to the war and the release of all remaining hostages, including female soldiers. male, as well as the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops. forces from Gaza.

Biden acknowledged that there were a number of details that still needed to be agreed upon in order to move from phase one to phase two, but he noted that under the terms of the agreement, the temporary ceasefire would remain in force beyond six weeks. …as long as negotiations continue.

“The Israeli people must know that they can make this offer without any additional risk to their own security, as they have devastated Hamas forces over the past eight months,” Biden said. “At this point, Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another October 7,” he added, calling Israel's main war objective “just.”

The final stage of the agreement includes the return of the remains of dead hostages and sets out steps for the post-war stabilization and reconstruction of Gaza, where some 370,000 homes damaged and nearly 80,000 destroyed, UN report says released in early May.

The proposal is “extremely close in almost every respect” to the type of deal Hamas has indicated it would be willing to accept in previous failed rounds of negotiations, the senior administration official said. Hamas officials have already insisted that any ceasefire agreement must be permanent.

Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, said in a statement after Biden's speech that the group viewed the president's remarks “positively” and indicated it was willing to work with any proposal that included a “ceasefire.” permanent” as well as Israel's military withdrawal from Gaza, provisions on reconstruction and the return of civilians to their homes, as well as a “prisoner exchange” agreement.

Faced with growing international condemnation of Gaza's spiraling humanitarian crisis and domestic pressure to secure the release of the hostages, Netanyahu is probably more inclined than ever to try to reach a deal, said Aaron David Miller, a former negotiator for peace in the Middle East for the US Department of State.

“It has to demonstrate that something has been accomplished,” he said.

Netanyahu's office issued a statement Friday following Biden's announcement, saying “the government of Israel is united in its desire to return the hostages as quickly as possible and is working to achieve this goal.”

“The Prime Minister authorized the negotiating team to present a proposal to this end, which would also allow Israel to continue the war until all of its objectives are achieved, including the destruction of Hamas' military and government capabilities “, adds the press release.