The United States President Biden said on Friday (May 31) that Israel has proposed a new offer to release hostages in exchange for a ceasefire in Gaza, and urged Hamas to agree, calling it the best way to end the conflict. Now, the Gaza conflict has entered its eighth month. Biden stated, “It is time to end this war and start a new day.”
As Egypt, Qatar, and other countries mediate, negotiations between Israel and the Hamas militant group on a ceasefire agreement for the Gaza war have been repeatedly deadlocked, with both sides blaming each other for the lack of progress.
According to Reuters, the new proposal put forward by Biden on Friday is divided into three stages: the first stage is a six-week ceasefire. During this period, the Israeli army will withdraw from Gaza, and hostages taken by Hamas, including elderly and women, will be exchanged for several hundred Palestinian prisoners. Biden mentioned that Palestinian civilians will return to Gaza, including the northern part, and 600 trucks carrying humanitarian aid will be sent to Gaza daily.
In the second stage, Hamas and Israel will negotiate the terms of permanently ending hostilities. Biden stated, “As long as the talks continue, the ceasefire will persist.”
The third stage will include a significant Gaza reconstruction plan. Biden mentioned that Qatar has conveyed this proposal to Hamas. He urged those in Israel advocating for an “indefinite” war to change their minds.
“I know there are some in Israel who will not agree to this plan. They will demand the war to continue indefinitely, some even within the government coalition. They have made it clear that they want to occupy Gaza, they want to continue fighting for a few more years,” he said. “I urge Israeli leaders to support this agreement, no matter how much pressure there is.”
An earlier hostage proposal presented this year called for the release of sick and disabled hostages in Gaza in exchange for a six-week ceasefire. The ceasefire period could be extended to provide more assistance to Gaza.
Earlier this month, Israel refused to agree to Hamas’s demand to permanently end the war as part of negotiations and escalated attacks on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, leading to the breakdown of the proposed agreement.
Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz stated that the proposed version agreed upon by Hamas following the Gaza ceasefire and hostage agreement mediated by Qatar and Egypt “does not align with dialogues conducted so far with Israel and the mediators, and there are significant gaps.”
He added that the effort to bring Israeli hostages home is a “war aim” and the “highest moral duty.”
Hamas stated on Thursday (May 30) that it had informed the mediators that it would not engage in further negotiations while Israel continued its assaults; however, if Israel stopped the war, it was willing to reach a “comprehensive agreement” with Israel, including a full exchange of detainees by both sides.
According to Reuters, an unnamed U.S. official mentioned that White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with diplomats from 17 countries on Friday, whose citizens are being detained by Hamas in Gaza.
An Israeli senior security official stated on Friday that Israel would not agree to a ceasefire unless an agreement, including the return of surviving hostages, is reached.
On Tuesday, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby stated that Israel’s recent ground operation in Rafah did not cross a “red line” that would prompt the U.S. to withdraw more military aid.