Two days before the eight-month mark of the start of the war in Gaza, the United States announced its three-phase plan to the world: Apart from a one-week ceasefire along the 26-mile-long stretch of Mediterranean coast at the end of November, the Israeli carnage has continued uninterrupted and months of mediation efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar have produced no results, and negotiations have been ongoing.
US leader Joe Biden appeared before cameras at the White House to share details of a three-phase proposal Israel has submitted to Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007.
So the first phase will last six weeks. A complete ceasefire will be achieved within six weeks, Israeli forces will withdraw from all populated areas of the Gaza Strip, some of the hostages will be released, including women, the elderly and the wounded. In return, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be released.
The US president also said Palestinians would be able to return to their homes across Gaza and the amount of humanitarian aid would increase. Meanwhile, Joe Biden added that 600 trucks loaded with aid would enter Gaza every day, saying: “With a ceasefire we can safely and effectively distribute this aid to all who need it. All of this, and more, can begin immediately.”
Second Phase
The second phase is planned for all remaining hostages to return and for the ceasefire to come into full and permanent effect.
The US leader noted that a ceasefire would be a permanent “cessation of all hostile activity”, and acknowledged that difficult negotiations would be needed between the first and second phases.
Third Phase
The third phase of the Israeli plan is to return the remains of all the hostages who lost their lives during the October 7th hostage taking.
“There are people who want endless war. We cannot miss this opportunity.”
Biden said he knew there were those in Israel who would not accept the proposal, adding: “I urge the Israeli leadership to uphold this agreement, no matter what pressure is placed on them.”
“I know there are those in Israel who will not accept this plan, and they will demand that the war continue indefinitely. Some are even in the coalition government. They have made this clear: they want to occupy Gaza. They want to continue the war. It’s been years of fighting and the hostages are their top priority. “We cannot let this opportunity pass us by.”
Joe Biden also stressed that Israel risks becoming further isolated on the world stage and called on Hamas to accept the new proposal.
Hamas said the deal should be given the green light, as Palestinians have been through hell and many civilians have lost their lives, and the US leader said “this war must end.”
Israeli TV goes off the air
The plan, announced to the world by the White House, had an immediate impact, with some Israeli media describing Joe Biden’s speech as “impressive.”
Television station Channel 12 interrupted its evening newscast to broadcast Biden’s speech live, with host Danny Cushmaro saying Israeli censors had previously barred him from publishing details of the proposal.
“That’s the question now.”
Hamas, meanwhile, declared that it was ready to respond positively to any proposals based on a permanent ceasefire: “Hamas is ready to engage actively and constructively with any proposals based on a permanent ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, the reconstruction of Gaza and the return of displaced people to their homes, to which Israel has declared it will abide,” the document said.
Al Jazeera correspondent Hashim Aherbara commented that the final announcement of the ceasefire plan may be several days away, as Hamas has responded positively to the proposal. “Hamas says it’s only a matter of time before this is concluded. I haven’t seen it. Hamas has reacted like this before,” he said.
The ceasefire proposal was welcomed in statements from Britain, Canada, the European Union and Germany. London urged Hamas to accept the proposal, while Germany said it saw a ray of hope for an end to the war.
He called Ankara from the plane.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held separate calls with his counterparts in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Jordan to discuss the cease-fire proposal.
It was reported that Blinken, the United States’ number one diplomat, called Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on a flight back to Washington from the Czech capital, Prague.
Antony Blinken, in a message shared on his blog,
