US President Joe Biden has urged Hamas to accept Israel’s new proposal to end the conflict in Gaza, saying “it is time for this war to end”.
The three-part proposal would begin with a six-week ceasefire in which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would withdraw from populated areas in Gaza.
There will also be an “increase” in humanitarian aid as well as the exchange of some hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
The final agreement will lead to a permanent “cessation of hostilities” and a major reconstruction plan for Gaza.
Speaking at the White House on Friday, Mr Biden said that the first phase of the proposed plan would include a “full and complete ceasefire”, the withdrawal of IDF forces from populated areas and hostage exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
“This is truly a decisive moment,” he said. “Hamas says they want a ceasefire. This agreement is an opportunity to prove whether they really want it or not.”
The ceasefire would allow more humanitarian aid to reach the besieged territory, he added, with “600 trucks carrying aid into Gaza every day.”
The second phase will see all remaining living hostages returned, including male soldiers. The ceasefire would then become “a permanent cessation of hostilities.”
In his speech, Mr. Biden admitted that negotiations between phase one and phase two will be difficult.
The third phase will see the final remains of any dead Israeli hostages returned, as well as a “massive reconstruction plan” with US and international support to rebuild the home. doors, schools and hospitals.
While the plan includes many details from previous rounds of negotiations that ultimately failed, the US call for a permanent ceasefire appears to be a significant concession to try to lure Hamas back. negotiate the terms they said they would agree to. A permanent ceasefire is one of the group’s main demands in the negotiations.
In his speech, Mr. Biden acknowledged that some Israelis – including officials in the Israeli government – would likely oppose the proposal.
“I have called on the Israeli leadership to support this agreement,” he said. “No matter what [political] Pressure comes.
The US President also spoke directly to the people of Israel, telling them that “we cannot lose this moment”.
Notably, Mr. Biden said that Hamas was now so degraded that it could not repeat an attack like the one its militants carried out on October 7 – a signal that could be sent to Israel that Washington considers the war to be over.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that the war will not end until its goals, including the return of all hostages and the elimination of Hamas’s military and government capabilities, are achieved. . He said the latest plan would allow Israel to maintain these principles.
A Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations who saw Israel’s new proposal said the document included neither guarantees that the war would end nor that IDF troops would fully withdraw from Gaza.
The proposal was conveyed to Hamas through mediators based in Qatar.
Faced with mounting civilian casualties in Gaza, President Biden has faced growing domestic criticism over the level of US support for Israel, calling for more action to Encourage warring parties to negotiate.
However, earlier this week, the White House said that it did not believe that Israel’s activities in Rafah were a “major ground operation” that would cross red lines and could cause a change in Israeli policy. America.
The statement came after an Israeli air strike and resulting fire killed at least 45 Palestinians on Sunday.
According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, more than 36,000 people have been killed across Gaza since the start of the conflict.
The war began in October when Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 252 back to Gaza as hostages.
