US President Joe Biden said a ceasefire in the Gaza war is possible “tomorrow” if Hamas releases the hostages in its captivity. (Photo: PTI)
US President Joe Biden said a ceasefire in the Gaza war is possible “tomorrow” if Hamas releases the hostages in its captivity.
He spoke at a fundraising event in Seattle on Saturday (local time).
“Before I start, I want to answer a question related to the hostages… You know, there would be a ceasefire tomorrow if… Hamas releases the hostages, women, the elderly and the wounded,” Biden said.
“Israel said it is up to Hamas that if they want to do it, we can end it tomorrow. And the ceasefire would come into effect tomorrow,” he added.
This comes after Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams left Cairo, Egypt, earlier this week without an agreement, as reported by CNN.
Earlier on Friday, the families of the five Americans believed to have been held hostage in Gaza met with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Middle East Coordinator Brett McGurk.
According to a readout of the meeting by representatives of the families, they expressed “their enormous frustration with yet another pause, especially after recent hostage videos showed their loved ones disabled, thin, pale and under apparent duress” to Biden administration officials.
Hamas said Israel’s rejection of a ceasefire plan submitted by mediators at the Cairo talks sent hostage release talks back to square one. It also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “obstructing” ceasefire negotiations to use the talks as cover for an attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Notably, Israel has repeatedly refused to agree to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas is defeated, even if all hostages are released, CNN reported.
“Hamas’ proposal was far removed from Israel’s core demands,” Netanyahu said on Tuesday.
The comment comes days after Biden halted the delivery of more than 3,000 heavy bombs to Israel and vowed to have more offensive weapons on hand if Israeli forces launch a major operation in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering, The reported Hill.
This came amid sweeping university protests and frustration over the war from some Democrats and his left flank.
Meanwhile, as Israel began its operation in Rafah despite concerns, it has ordered several more neighborhoods in eastern Rafah to evacuate immediately as the army steps up operations in the southern Gaza city.
Rafah, the southern Gaza city, is considered the last stronghold for Hamas, but is home to more than 1 million displaced Palestinians.
Avichay Adraee, head of the Arabic media department of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, said in a statement that people in the Rafah and Al-Shaboura camps, and in the neighborhoods of Al-Adari, Al-Jeneina and parts of Khirbet Al-Adas, should “immediately move to the extended humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi.”
Al-Mawasi is an area that was already full of displaced Palestinians before civilians in Rafah were ordered to move there, as reported by CNN.
This drew sharp criticism from the President of the Council of the European Union, Charles Michel, who said it was “unacceptable” for the Israeli army to issue evacuation orders for civilians in Rafah to “unsafe zones”.
“We call on the Israeli government to respect international humanitarian law and urge it not to conduct a ground operation in #Rafah,” he said in an X post on Saturday.
In addition, Michel said humanitarian aid must pass through “fully functioning” border crossings.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
First print: May 12, 2024 | 8:06 am IST
