On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden called on Hamas militants to accept a new offer from Israel involving the release of hostages in exchange for a ceasefire in Gaza. Biden emphasized that this agreement could help de-escalate the ongoing conflict and allow for the safe distribution of humanitarian aid.
“With a ceasefire, that aid could be safely and effectively distributed to all who need it,” Biden stated. “As someone who’s had a lifelong commitment to Israel, as the only American president who has ever gone to Israel at a time of war, and as someone who just sent U.S. forces to directly defend Israel when it was attacked by Iran, I ask you to take a step back and think about what will happen if this moment is lost,” he added. “We can’t lose this moment.”
An earlier proposal from Israel, introduced earlier this year, suggested releasing sick, elderly, and wounded hostages in Gaza in exchange for a six-week ceasefire. This agreement would have allowed more humanitarian aid to be delivered to the enclave. However, the deal collapsed earlier this month after Israel refused to agree to a permanent end to the war and intensified its assault on Rafah in southern Gaza.
On Thursday, Hamas informed mediators that it would not participate in further negotiations during ongoing aggression but expressed readiness for a “complete agreement,” including an exchange of hostages and prisoners if Israel ceased hostilities.
Mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and other nations to establish a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly stalled, with both sides blaming each other for the lack of progress. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan would meet on Friday with diplomats from 17 countries who have citizens held hostage in Gaza by Hamas. A senior Israeli security official stated that Israel would not agree to any cessation of fighting without the return of surviving hostages.
Complicating the situation, an Israeli airstrike in Rafah on Sunday resulted in the deaths of 45 Palestinians. Despite this, White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby confirmed on Tuesday that recent Israeli ground operations in Rafah would not deter the U.S. from providing more military aid. Palestinian health authorities report that over 36,280 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s response to a Hamas assault on October 7, which resulted in around 1,200 Israeli deaths.
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