Tel Aviv/AP News President Joe Biden is lost in thought during a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, on October 18th last year.
President Joe Biden announced Israel’s 3-phase ceasefire plan for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip last Friday. According to Yonhap News, Biden stated during an emergency meeting at the White House that the U.S. negotiation team had been working toward a continuous ceasefire over the past few months. He mentioned that Israel had put forward a new proposal, which serves as a roadmap incorporating a continuous ceasefire and the release of all hostages.
Biden detailed a three-phase deal proposed by Israel to Hamas militants. The first phase includes a complete ceasefire for six weeks, the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from densely populated areas, and the release of some hostages, including women, the elderly, and the injured. Humanitarian assistance would surge during the first phase, with 600 trucks being allowed into Gaza daily. During the six weeks, Israel and Hamas will continue negotiations to move to the second phase, which is to end hostile actions permanently.
The third phase of the plan focuses on initiating major reconstruction efforts in Gaza, a region facing decades of rebuilding due to the extensive war damage.
Biden emphasized the urgency of the situation by urging Hamas to accept the proposal, stating, “Hamas must come to the table and end the war they started. It is time to end the war.”
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