Biden Says Gaza Ceasefire Framework Accepted by Both Israel, Hamas

US President Joe Biden announced on Friday that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the framework for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. 

“Six weeks ago I laid out a comprehensive framework for how to achieve a ceasefire and bring the hostages home. There is still work to do and these are complex issues, but that framework is now agreed to by both Israel and Hamas. My team is making progress and I’m determined to get this done,” Biden posted on X/Twitter. 

Six weeks ago I laid out a comprehensive framework for how to achieve a ceasefire and bring the hostages home.

There is still work to do and these are complex issues, but that framework is now agreed to by both Israel and Hamas.

My team is making progress and I’m determined to…

— President Biden (@POTUS) July 12, 2024

Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters on Thursday that there were “miles to go on a ceasefire” but that “signs are more positive today than they have been in recent weeks.”

A senior Israeli official told Israel’s Channel 12 on Friday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is negotiating a ceasefire deal which would include assurances that Hamas fighters do not return to the northern portion of Gaza.

“This is the moment of truth for the hostages,” the official said. “We can reach an agreement within two weeks and bring the hostages home.”

The unnamed official criticized Netanyahu, arguing that his new condition is not feasible, would slow down negotiations, and that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “know how to deal with the return of the armed terrorists to northern Gaza.”

Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists launched the ongoing war with their invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, murdering 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250 hostages. Israel responded with a military campaign in neighboring Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling the Palestinian terrorist group’s military and governing capabilities.

Approximately 120 hostages remain in Gaza. Many were freed as part of a temporary truce in November, and others have been rescued by Israeli military forces. It is unclear how many of the remaining hostages are alive.

In late May, Biden unveiled a new ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hamas. The multi-phase plan would ultimately include a “complete ceasefire” between the two sides as well as the “withdrawal of Israeli forces” in Gaza. In addition, Biden said, the plan would secure the “release of all hostages” in Gaza. 

Hamas subsequently rejected the ceasefire proposal from the Biden administration, arguing that it did not “guarantee a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.” Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, asserted that the terrorist group would not agree to relinquish their weapons in any potential ceasefire deal. 

Israel also expressed hesitations about Biden’s ceasefire proposal, suggesting that the plan would prevent the country from achieving its objectives of permanently dismantling Hamas and freeing all the hostages in Gaza. Netanyahu said that Israel would only agree to “discuss” the end of the war and that the Jewish state would continue fighting until it achieves “total victory.” Moreover, Israeli officials were lukewarm on the plan, arguing that it did would not guarantee the defeat of Hamas. 

Nonetheless, the Biden administration has insisted that the proposed ceasefire deal could secure the elimination of Hamas from Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages. Sullivan, while speaking to an audience at the American Jewish Committee Global Forum 2024 event last month, said that the ceasefire proposal can ensure that “Hamas is no longer in power.” Sullivan stated that an “interim governance enterprise” could help eliminate terrorism and maintain stability within Gaza.

The Washington Post reported this week that the framework for the ceasefire, the details of which still need to be hashed out, would be a three-phase process. Echoing Sullivan’s comments, a US official told the outlet that the deal would include an “interim governance” plan in which neither Israel nor Hamas would control Gaza. Before this new government takes control, 33 hostages would be released.

The final stage of the deal would see the release of male IDF soldiers held captive and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, according to the official.

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