Current mediators Egypt, the US, and Qatar in the conflict in the Gaza strip, have issued a joint call for Israel and Hamas to reach a Gaza ceasefire agreement. According to these nations, this call aligns with principles outlined by President Joe Biden in his speech on Friday, May 31.
Mediators Egypt, the US, and Qatar have issued a joint call for Hamas and Israel to reach a Gaza ceasefire agreement that aligns with the principles that outlined by President Joe Biden in his recent speech on Friday, May 31.
The statement highlighted that the principles serve multiple interests and the deal aims to provide immediate relief to the long-suffering people of Gaza, as well as the captives and their families. Additionally, the deal offers a roadmap for achieving a permanent ceasefire and resolving the crisis, the mediators emphasized.
During a speech at the White House on Friday, Biden outlined an Israeli proposal to end the war in Gaza, stating that « it’s time for this war to end » and urging Hamas to accept the plan. The plan consists of three phases, starting with a six-week ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas in Gaza.
Biden mentioned that the plan includes the exchange of captives, with some being released in return for Palestinian prisoners. The deal also involves a significant increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, with 600 aid-loaded shipments entering the strip daily.
The second phase of the plan includes the release of all remaining captives while transitioning the ceasefire into a « permanent cessation of hostilities, » according to Biden.
Biden’s initiative has garnered international support, and Biden expressed his urging for Israeli leadership to stand behind the deal despite any political pressures. Hamas, which has maintained its demand for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, has expressed a « positive » view of the proposal. In response to Biden’s initiative, Israel’s Prime Minister called a permanent ceasefire in Gaza a « nonstarter » until its war aims, including destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities, are met.
Israeli far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich threatened today to resign and dismantle Benjamin Netanyahu’s government if it accepts the war-ending proposal presented by Biden.
