US President Joe Biden plans to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian group Hamas. The politician said that “it’s time to end this war.” Militants responded positively to this proposal, and Israel seeks to “achieve the objectives of the war,” writes Reuters.
The first phase of the plan calls for a six-week ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from “all populated areas” in the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of Palestinian detainees will be exchanged for the release of some hostages, including women and the elderly. During this period, 600 trucks will deliver humanitarian aid to the enclave every day.
At this stage, Hamas and Israel will agree on a permanent ceasefire, which, according to Biden, will last “as long as Hamas complies with its obligations. If the negotiations take more than six weeks, then the temporary ceasefire should be extended for the duration of the negotiations.
In the second phase, there should be an exchange for all living hostages, including male soldiers, and Israeli soldiers will leave Gaza and begin a permanent cease-fire.
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The third phase will include a comprehensive plan for the reconstruction of Gaza and the return of the “last remnants” of the hostages to their families.
“It is time to end this war and begin the next day,” said Biden, who is under pre-election pressure to stop the conflict in Gaza, which has been going on for the eighth month.
Hamas militants, to whom such a plan was handed over by Qatar, apparently issued a statement in which they reacted positively to this proposal.
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Hamas said it was ready to “positively and constructively” consider any proposal based on a permanent cease-fire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the reconstruction of Gaza, the return of displaced persons and a “genuine” prisoner exchange agreement, if Israel “clearly states its commitment to plan”.
“The war will not end until all of its objectives are achieved, including the return of all hostages and the destruction of Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities,” the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, adding that he had given his team permission to present the agreement.
Separately, the Israeli military added that its forces had completed operations in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza after several days of intense fighting, while advancing further into Rafah in the enclave’s south to destroy “Hamas’ last major redoubt.”.
The current escalation of the conflict began on October 7, 2023, when militants invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages.
Israel then moved troops into the Gaza Strip in what Netanyahu described as an attempt to destroy Hamas, which seized control of the area from the Palestinian Fatah group in a brutal 2007 battle.
Ceasefire talks brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and other countries between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly stalled, with each side blaming the other for a lack of progress.
At the same time, Israel has faced growing international condemnation over the high death toll and humanitarian situation in Gaza, including convictions for alleged war crimes by both the UN International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. Israeli officials deny the allegations. International criticism intensified after an airstrike on two senior Hamas commanders in northwestern Rafah reportedly killed about 45 civilians hiding in a nearby displaced persons camp.
