Israel has offered a new comprehensive ceasefire deal to Hamas, according to US President Joe Biden.
The agreement would involve the return of Israeli hostages from Loop and the reconstruction of civil areas.
Biden urged Hamas and senior figures in Israel not to “miss this moment” after ceasefire talks stalled earlier this month when Israel refused to permanently end the war and intensified its assault on the city. from Rafah.
“Everyone who wants peace now must speak up and work to make it a reality. It is time for this war to end,” the president said during a surprise speech at the White House on Friday.
“Israel has made its proposal. Hamas says it wants a ceasefire. This agreement is an opportunity to show if they really mean it,” he said at the press conference.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said its main objectives are “the return of all our abductees and the elimination of Hamas’ military and government capabilities,” and in a statement said the three-stage proposal “allows Israel to uphold these principles.
Biden outlines peace plan between Israel and Gaza
The first phase of the proposed agreement would be a ceasefire lasting six weeks, during which Israel and Hamas would negotiate a permanent end to the fighting in Gaza, Biden said.
If negotiations last more than six weeks, the ceasefire will continue for as long as necessary to reach an agreement, he added.
The second phase would involve Hamas handing over the remaining 100 hostages and Israel withdrawing all its forces from Gaza.
The final phase would focus on a “major reconstruction plan” for Gaza, according to the president.
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Biden stated that Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another attack like the one on October 7.
Sky Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall says he has been told the deal has not been made “with the cooperation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu”.
“Sources close to Netanyahu” have told him that they do not “recognize or fully agree with” the proposal outlined by Biden on Friday.
Sky’s US correspondent Mark Stone, however, describes the announcement as a “big moment”, saying it “feels significant” compared to similar ones in the past.
Only on Thursday did Hamas tell mediators Egypt and Qatar that it would not participate in future negotiations as long as the Israeli attack on Gaza continued.
The group said it was prepared for a “full agreement”, including the exchange of hostages, if Israel stopped the war for its part.
UK Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron said in a tweet on Friday night: “With a new hostage deal on the table, Hamas must accept this deal so we can see a cessation of fighting, release of the hostages and their return to their families and a flood. of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“As we have long argued, a cessation of fighting can become permanent peace if we are all prepared to take the right steps. Let us seize this moment and end this conflict.”
Palestinians after Israeli forces withdrew from the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza. Photo: Reuters
Biden’s announcement comes after widespread condemnation of an Israeli airstrike in Rafah last Sunday, which killed at least 45 displaced Palestinians living in tents.
Distressing images of burnt tents and bodies pulled from the rubble have been shared around the world on social media, with the caption “all eyes on Rafah”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the attack a “tragic mistake”, while an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman said much of the destruction was caused by a subsequent fire that could not have been caused solely by the type of munitions used .
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