Biden announces Gaza ceasefire proposal endorsed by Israel, urges Hamas to accept it

US President Joe Biden has announced a new ceasefire proposal for the war in the Gaza Strip that has been endorsed by Israel.

Biden urged Hamas to accept the proposal that he said would pave the war of the end of the war and reconstruction of Gaza devastated from months of war.

“It’s time for this war to end and for the day after to begin,” said Biden in an address from the White House.

Outlining the proposal, Biden said it would comprise three phases. In the first phase, he said there will be a six-week ceasefire in which women, the elderly, the wounded hostages held by Hamas will be released in lieu of the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. He added that displaced Gazans will also return to their homes as the Israeli military will withdraw from Gaza’s populated areas.

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The six-week truce will be used for talks to reach phase two of the plan in which the war will permanently end and all hostages will be released, said Biden.

In phase three, the reconstruction of Gaza will start, according to Biden.

“Israel has offered a comprehensive new proposal. It’s a roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages. This proposal has been transmitted by Qatar to Hamas,” said Biden, adding that the humanitarian supplies to Gaza will also surge to 600 trucks per day.

Israel has offered a three-part “roadmap” to a cease-fire that has been sent to Hamas and that includes the release of hostages and the distribution of aid in Gaza, Pres. Biden says. Here’s what it entails. https://t.co/CocwqFlPhQ pic.twitter.com/WfaVkdlYrm

— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 31, 2024

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Biden urges Israelis to accept the Gaza ceasefire proposal

In a direct appeal to the leaders and people of Israel, Biden said that they should take the deal on the table.

In an apparent message for the far-right parties and sections of the public in Israel, Biden said that he was aware that some in Israel would wish for the war to continue indefinitely and to occupy it as well.

“I know there are those in Israel who will not agree with this plan and will call for the war to continue indefinitely. Some are even in the governing coalition. They have made it clear that they want to occupy Gaza. They want to keep fighting for years and the hostages are not a priority to them. Well, I have urged the leadership in Israel to stand behind this deal despite whatever pressure comes,” said Biden, referring to the far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich in the cabinet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Biden further reiterated his personal commitment to the security of Israel and asked the Israelis to think what would happen if the opportunity was lost.

Biden said, “To the people of Israel, let me say this: As someone who has had a lifelong commitment to Israel, as the only American president who has ever gone to Israel at a time of war, as someone who just sent US forces to directly defend Israel when it was attacked by Iran, I ask you to take a step back and think what will happen if this moment is lost?”

Join me as I deliver remarks on the Middle East. https://t.co/Du6LP9t3Fl

— President Biden Archived (@POTUS46Archive) May 31, 2024

Biden said an endless war would bog down Israel and drain it militarily and economically and come with great human cost.

Acknowledging the Israel’s right to defend itself, Biden said the terms of the deal allows Israel to resume military operations if Hamas fails to deliver on promises.

Biden further said, “But Egypt and Qatar have assured me they are continuing to work to ensure that Hamas doesn’t do that…The United States will help ensure that Israel lives up to their obligations as well.”

In his speech, Biden also noted the atrocities of Hamas on October 7, including sexual assaults of women. He said, “The past eight months have been marked by heartbreaking pain — pain of those whose loved ones were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists on October 7, hostages and their families waiting in anguish, ordinary Israelis whose lives are forever marked by the shattering event of Hamas’s sexual violence and ruthless brutality.”

‘Palestinians have endured sheer hell’

Acknowledging the suffering of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, most of whom have been displaced by months of war, Biden said that they “have endured sheer hell in this war”.

Admitting the complexity of the conflict, Biden said “this has been one of the hardest, most complicated problems in the world”.

Mentioning the civilian death toll amongst the Palestinians, Biden also mentioned the recent strike in Rafah in which dozens were killed.

“Too many people have been killed, including thousands of children. Far too many have been badly wounded. We all saw the terrible images from a deadly fire in Rafah earlier this week following an Israeli strike targeting Hamas,” said Biden.

Even though Israel has refuted the casualty figures released by Gaza’s Hamas-run authorities, Netanyahu himself has admitted that more civilians have been killed than terrorists.

“We’ve killed about 14,000 terrorists. Unfortunately, because of the fact they use human shield, there’s slightly bigger number —about 16,000— for civilians that were killed in places where terrorists will not let them leave,” said Netanyahu in an interview with American chat show host Dr Phil earlier this month.