US President Joe Biden publicly announced Israel’s new three-phase ceasefire proposal to Hamas, calling on Hamas to accept a plan to release Israeli hostages in exchange for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. In a statement at the White House, the US president said Israel’s proposal is in three phases, with the first phase lasting six weeks, and includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops from all populated areas of the Gaza Strip and the release of some hostages, including women, the elderly and the injured.
Biden said in return that hundreds of Palestinian prisoners would be released, Palestinians would be able to return to their homes across Gaza and humanitarian aid would increase. Meanwhile, Biden said 600 trucks loaded with aid would enter the Gaza Strip every day, adding: “With a ceasefire, we can safely and effectively distribute this aid to all who need it. All of this and more can begin immediately.”
The US President said the second phase was planned to see all remaining hostages returned and the ceasefire made fully permanent.
He noted that the ceasefire would be a permanent “cessation of all hostile activity.” The US president also acknowledged that difficult negotiations would be necessary between the first and second phases.
Biden stressed that the third phase of Israel’s plan envisages the return of the remains of all the hostages who lost their lives during the Oct. 7 hostage taking.
Cancellation of plans
According to a report from Al-Akhbar, a Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese news source, the Israeli side told the US that it would not come to the table unless it ended its attacks in Rafah, and the US accepted the decision. Security sources in Egypt and Qatar also confirmed the news. Biden had previously claimed that Hamas was obstructing the ceasefire. It is already known that Hamas wants some changes to the ceasefire agreement and also seeks written guarantees from the Israeli side.
