US President Joe Biden urged Hamas to accept Israel’s new proposal to end the conflict in Gaza, saying “it’s time to end this war”.
The three-part proposal begins with a six-week ceasefire that would see the Israel Defense Forces withdraw from Gaza’s densely populated areas.
There will also be a “surge” in humanitarian aid and the exchange of some hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
The agreement will ultimately lead to a permanent “cessation of hostilities” and a major reconstruction plan for Gaza.
Hamas said it viewed the proposal “positively”.
In a speech at the White House on Friday, Biden said the first phase of the proposed plan would include a “comprehensive and complete ceasefire,” the withdrawal of IDF troops from densely populated areas and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for hostages.
“This is truly a defining moment,” he said. “Hamas has said it wants a ceasefire. This agreement is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it.”
He added that the ceasefire would allow more humanitarian aid to reach the troubled territory, with “600 trucks delivering aid to Gaza every day”.
The second phase will see the repatriation of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers. The ceasefire will be a “permanent cessation of hostilities”.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron was among those urging Hamas to agree to the proposal, saying on X that the group “must accept this deal so that we can see the fighting stop”.
Lord Cameron added: “We have long believed that a cessation of fighting can turn into permanent peace if we are all prepared to take the right steps. “Let us seize this moment and end this conflict.”
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also welcomed the development in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He said the world had “witnessed too much suffering” [and] Gaza’s destruction,” and said “it’s time to stop.”
“I welcome [President] Biden’s initiative [and] Encourage all parties to seize this ceasefire opportunity, release all hostages, and ensure unimpeded humanitarian assistance [and] and finally achieve lasting peace in the Middle East,” he added.
Biden acknowledged in his speech that negotiations between Phase 1 and Phase 2 will be difficult.
Just days ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly stated his firm opposition to agreeing to end the war as part of a ceasefire, making Biden’s reference to an end to the war all the more important.
Although the plan contains many details from previous rounds of negotiations that ultimately failed, the U.S. call for a permanent ceasefire appears to be a major concession aimed at trying to get Hamas to renegotiate on terms they have already agreed to. A permanent ceasefire is one of the group’s main demands.
The third phase of the proposal would see the return of the final remains of all deceased Israeli hostages, as well as a “major reconstruction program” to rebuild homes, schools and hospitals with U.S. and international aid.
Biden acknowledged in his speech that some Israelis — including officials within the Israeli government — may oppose the proposal.
“I urge the Israeli leadership to support this agreement,” he said. “no matter what [political] The pressure is on.
The US president also addressed the Israeli people directly, telling them “we cannot lose this moment”.
Notably, Biden said Hamas has now degraded to the point where it can no longer repeat attacks like the one its fighters carried out on Oct. 7, potentially signaling to the Israelis that Washington believes the war is over.
Prime Minister Netanyahu insisted in a statement that the war will not end until its goals are achieved, including the return of all hostages and the elimination of Hamas’s military and governance capabilities. He said the latest plan would allow Israel to adhere to those principles.
Hamas, for its part, said it viewed the proposal “positively” as it called for a permanent ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, reconstruction and a prisoner exchange.
The group said it was ready to “actively and constructively address” any proposals centered on a permanent ceasefire as long as Israel “declares a clear commitment to it.”
Another Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations and who has seen the new Israeli proposal said the document did not guarantee an end to the war or a complete withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza.
The proposal was forwarded to Hamas through a mediator based in Qatar.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on the foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to work to build broader support for the proposal.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said late on Friday that Mr Blinken “stressed that Hamas should accept the deal and that every country with a relationship with Hamas should urge it to do so immediately”.
Faced with mounting civilian casualties in Gaza, President Joe Biden has been increasingly critical at home of the level of U.S. support for Israel and has called for more to be done to encourage the warring sides to negotiate.
However, earlier this week, the White House said it did not consider Israel’s actions in Rafah to constitute a “significant ground operation” that could cross red lines and trigger possible changes in U.S. policy.
On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes and fires killed at least 45 Palestinians.
In a separate statement on Friday, US lawmakers from both parties formally invited Mr Netanyahu to address Congress in Washington.
It’s unclear when the speech will take place.
More than 36,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The war began in October when Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 252 people back to Gaza as hostages.
