Hamas holds key to ceasefire – Biden
United States President Joe Biden has said a ceasefire deal is in the hands of Hamas, as he urges the terror group to accept an Israeli proposal for a pause in fighting.
He also warned of imminent danger if a deal was not in place before Ramadan, after talks in Cairo ended without an agreement.
“It’s in the hands of Hamas right now,” Biden said. “The Israelis have been co-operating, the offer [of a ceasefire] is rational. We’ll know in a couple of days. But we need the ceasefire.”
The talks broke down after Hamas refused to provide a list confirming which hostages in Gaza are still alive.
The Hamas delegation said it would remain in Egypt for more negotiations, despite Israel withdrawing its team over the hostages row.
Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “doesn’t want to reach an agreement, and the ball now is in the Americans’ court”.
The deal on the table reportedly involves Hamas releasing all women, children and wounded hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, at a ratio of about one hostage to 10 prisoners.
It also allows for hundreds of aid trucks to enter Gaza during a 40-day pause in fighting.
Biden said it was up to Hamas whether to accept an offer for a six-week truce, while warning Israel that there were “no excuses” for failing to let aid through.
Airdrops of aid packages into the besieged territory of 2.4 million people ordered by the US president have continued. Biden said: “I’m working with [Israel] very hard. We must get more aid into Gaza. There’s no excuses, none.”
The US president also said a deal needed to be struck before Ramadan on March 10, when tensions in Jerusalem traditionally rise between hardline Jews and Muslims.
“There’s got to be a ceasefire because [of] Ramadan – if we get into circumstances where this continues to Ramadan, Israel and Jerusalem could be very, very dangerous.”
Israel has said it is interested only in a temporary truce, during which more hostages would be freed. Hamas says it wants any deal to lead to a permanent end to hostilities.
Egyptian security sources said US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators were seeking to overcome this difference by offering separate guarantees to Hamas of peace talks to end the war.
The sides needed to resolve a Hamas demand for all Gaza residents to be allowed to return to abandoned homes during the truce, as well as Israel’s demand for the list of hostages, the Egyptian sources said.
The World Health Organisation has said there is “extreme” malnutrition in Gaza, with one in six children under the age of 2 at risk of starvation. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has said that 15 Palestinian children have died in recent days from dehydration and malnutrition.
In Khan Younis, where fighting continues, Palestinian residents have said there are decomposing bodies left in the streets. The Gazan health ministry said 17 people were killed in one of many Israeli air strikes launched near the city.
Biden also brushed off suggestions of tensions with Netanyahu as Washington presses Israel over civilian deaths, and after one of the Israeli prime minister’s rivals in the war cabinet visited the White House on Tuesday. He said their relationship was “like it’s always been”.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant says Hezbollah’s continued attacks on Israel are pushing the country to a “critical point” in deciding to pursue military action in Lebanon.
“We are committed to the diplomatic process. However, Hezbollah’s aggression is bringing us closer to a critical point in the decision-making regarding our military activities in Lebanon,” Gallant said in a meeting with Amos Hochstein, a United States special envoy.
During the meeting at Defence Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, Gallant also warned Hochstein that the Lebanese militant group was “dragging the parties to a dangerous escalation,” according to his office.
His warning comes amid multiple reports of Hezbollah missile strikes on Israel in recent days. – Telegraph Group