Joe Biden said this Friday that Israel had proposed a new “comprehensive” ceasefire agreement, affirming that this opportunity for an agreement in Gaza should not be “missed”.
In remarks from the White House, the US president said Israel’s proposal included the withdrawal of all its forces from Palestinian territory for six weeks, a complete ceasefire, and the release of all hostages. Joe Biden also urged Hamas to “accept the deal,” adding that it was “time for this war to end.”
A truce that always takes time
The American president, who threatened to call into question his hitherto unconditional support for Israel in the event of a large-scale operation in Rafah, had not spoken since the intensification of the Israeli offensive in this southern city from the Gaza Strip. The culmination was the fire caused by an Israeli airstrike in a refugee camp at the beginning of the week, causing the death of at least 45 people and the injury of 249 others.
The United States has so far linked an end to the fighting in Gaza to an agreement on the release of hostages still held in the Palestinian territory. Hamas said on Thursday that it was willing to reach a truce in the Gaza Strip that would include a “comprehensive agreement on an exchange” of prisoners, but only if Israel stopped its bombings.