Biden shares ceasefire plan to end Gaza war: what you need to know

Israeli military operations in Gaza, now in their eighth month, have displaced 75 percent of its population and left parts of the enclave grappling with famine amid a catastrophic humanitarian context, according to the United Nations. More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza's health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters but says the majority of the dead are women and children. Israel estimates that around 1,200 people were killed in the October 7 Hamas attack and around 252 people were taken hostage. During a break in fighting in November, 105 hostages, including foreign nationals, were released under a deal.

Here's what you need to know about the latest three-phase ceasefire proposal outlined Friday by Biden and his officials:

The first phase – lasting six weeks – would result in a complete ceasefire and include Israeli withdrawal from all populated areas of Gaza. The Gaza hostages, women, elderly and injured, would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, Biden said. The remaining US hostages in Gaza would be released during this phase, Biden added, and some remains of the killed hostages would be returned.

Displaced Palestinian civilians would be allowed to return to their homes in all areas of Gaza. Humanitarian aid is expected to increase, with 600 trucks entering the enclave daily, according to the plan. The ceasefire would ensure aid is “distributed safely and effectively” to those who need it, Biden said.

Negotiations will continue during this phase to put “a definitive end to hostilities” during the second phase, he added.

In his statement, Biden acknowledged that some details needed to be worked out to move to the second phase. But the ceasefire will continue if negotiations extend beyond six weeks, he added.

The second phase would see the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza, including male soldiers, Biden said, and Israeli forces would withdraw all their forces from Gaza.

If respected, the temporary ceasefire will become a “definitive cessation of hostilities”, he added.

All remains of the slain hostages would be returned in the third phase, which would include a massive internationally-backed Gaza reconstruction plan, Biden said. Israeli airstrikes and the ground invasion have ravaged large swaths of the enclave and leveled entire blocks of homes, the Washington Post reported.

A senior Biden administration official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, described this phase as a broad three- to five-year program of rehabilitation and stabilization of Gaza.

“It is time to begin this next step, for the hostages to return home, for Israel to be safe, for the suffering to end,” Biden said. “It is time for this war to end and the next day to begin. »