President Biden on Thursday joined Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in urging Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and hostage release agreement that is on the table and getting closer to the finish line.
In a statement, the leaders said it was “time to bring immediate relief to both the suffering people of Gaza and the suffering hostages and their families.”
“The time has come to conclude the ceasefire and the agreement on the release of hostages and detainees,” the leaders said. “The three of us and our teams have worked tirelessly for many months to forge a framework agreement that is now on the table, with only the implementation details remaining to be finalized.”
“There is no more time to waste and no excuses from either party for further delays,” they added. “It is time to release the hostages, initiate the ceasefire and implement this agreement.”
The leaders also pushed for the resumption of talks in Doha or Cairo starting Aug. 15 and said they were “prepared to present a final proposal that resolves the remaining implementation issues in a way that meets the expectations of all parties “.
Although the US has suggested for several weeks that the talks are in the final phase, officials have admitted that there are still important implementation details that need to be ironed out.
A senior US government official said on Thursday that Biden called al-Sisi and Sheikh Tamim this week about the hostage and ceasefire agreement that framed the need for a joint statement.
“A statement from three leaders is unusual, but it is significant,” the official said. “These three leaders have been involved in this hostage negotiation, in negotiating the ceasefire agreement for a few months now and, as the statement says, there is a framework agreement that is on the table with the implementation details that still remain to be completed ”.
Although there is still some work to be done and an agreement is not expected next week, the remaining details of the proposal are related to the “sequencing of the exchange” and can be resolved, the person in charge added.
“Most of the work has been done, and the agreement is actually there, and with some willpower and sitting down to discuss it, we think it is possible. [and] urgent,” the person added.
The ceasefire and hostage release agreement builds on a proposal from Biden in May that calls for the exchange of the most vulnerable hostages for Palestinian prisoners and a temporary ceasefire, along with an Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas of Gaza. .
A ceasefire would last as long as negotiations continued between both parties to end the war and free the remaining hostages.
Hamas holds around 115 hostages in Gaza, where Israel is fighting to free them in a war that has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians.
Israel also seeks the destruction of Hamas after the Palestinian militant group invaded southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Some 105 hostages were released in a brief truce in November.
The ceasefire and hostage release agreement recently encountered an obstacle with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who sent more demands that appear to be complicating the talks.
Netanyahu has been accused of prolonging the war in Gaza for his own political survival, while facing domestic questions over security failures on October 7, along with internal problems. Still, he has faced increasing pressure from Israeli citizens and hostage families to reach an agreement.
Negotiations are reaching a critical phase as tensions rise in the Middle East following the death of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon last week due to an Israeli attack. Iran also blamed Israel for the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Both Iran and its proxy, Hezbollah, have promised to respond to Israel, which is preparing for an expected attack at any moment. The US has transferred additional assets to the Middle East in advance, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, which will replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The Pentagon also transferred a squadron of F-22 Raptor fighters to the region.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
