JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden signaled {that a} cease-fire in Gaza could possibly be at hand, saying that Israel has agreed to pause its offensive throughout the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan if a deal is reached to launch some hostages held by Hamas.
But each Israel and Hamas downplayed on Tuesday the concept a breakthrough was imminent.
In the wake of Hamas’ assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, Israel’s air, sea and floor marketing campaign in Gaza has killed tens of 1000’s of individuals, obliterated massive swaths of the city panorama, displaced 80% of the battered enclave’s inhabitants and sparked considerations {that a} famine could possibly be imminent, in accordance to the United Nations.
Now, the prospect of an invasion of Rafah has prompted international alarm over the destiny of civilians trapped there.
Talks to pause the preventing have gained momentum lately and have been underway Tuesday. Negotiators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar have been working to dealer a cease-fire that might see Hamas free among the dozens of hostages it holds in change for the discharge of Palestinian prisoners, a six-week halt in preventing and a rise in help deliveries to Gaza.
The begin of Ramadan, which is anticipated to be round March 10, is seen as an unofficial deadline for a deal. The month is a time of heightened non secular observance and dawn-to-dusk fasting for a whole lot of thousands and thousands of Muslims world wide. Israeli-Palestinian tensions have flared up to now throughout the holy month.
“Ramadan’s coming up and there has been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in activities during Ramadan as well, in order to give us time to get all the hostages out,” Biden mentioned in an look on NBC’s “Late Night With Seth Meyers” that was filmed Monday.
In separate feedback the identical day, Biden mentioned that he hoped a cease-fire deal might take impact by subsequent week.
At the identical time, Biden didn’t name for an finish to the war, which was triggered when Hamas militants killed 1,200 folks, largely civilians, and kidnapped roughly 250 folks, in accordance to Israeli authorities.
Israeli officers mentioned Biden’s feedback got here as a shock and weren’t made in coordination with the nation’s management. A Hamas official performed down any sense of progress, saying the group wouldn’t soften its calls for.
The Israeli officers, who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to focus on the delicate talks with the media, mentioned Israel desires a deal instantly, however that Hamas continues to push extreme calls for. They additionally mentioned that Israel is insisting that feminine troopers be a part of the primary group of hostages launched underneath any truce deal.
Hamas official Ahmad Abdel-Hadi indicated that optimism on a deal was untimely.
“The resistance is not interested in giving up any of its demands, and what is proposed does not meet what it had requested,” he advised the Pan-Arab TV channel Al Mayadeen.
Hamas has beforehand demanded that Israel finish the war as a part of any deal, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu known as “delusional.”
At a information convention in Doha on Tuesday, Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari mentioned “we feel optimistic” concerning the talks, with out elaborating.
A senior official from Egypt has mentioned the draft deal contains the discharge of up to 40 girls and older hostages in return for up to 300 Palestinian prisoners — largely girls, minors and older folks.
The official, talking on situation of anonymity to focus on the negotiations, mentioned the proposed six-week pause in preventing would permit a whole lot of vehicles to carry desperately wanted help into Gaza each day, together with to the hard-hit north.
Biden, who has proven staunch assist for Israel all through the war, left open the door in his remarks for an eventual Israeli floor offensive within the metropolis of Rafah in southern Gaza, on the border with Egypt, the place greater than half of the enclave’s 2.3 million folks have fled underneath Israeli evacuation orders.
Netanyahu has mentioned a floor operation in Rafah is an inevitable part of Israel’s technique for crushing Hamas. This week, the navy submitted for Cabinet approval operational plans for the offensive, in addition to evacuation plans for civilians there.
Biden mentioned he believes Israel has slowed its bombardment of Rafah.
“They have to and they have made a commitment to me that they’re going to see to it that there’s an ability to evacuate significant portions of Rafah before they go and take out the remainder Hamas,” he mentioned. “But it’s a process.”
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed greater than 29,700 folks, most of them girls and kids, in accordance to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. It doesn’t distinguish between fighters and civilians in its depend.
The first and solely cease-fire within the war, in late November, caused the discharge of about 100 hostages — largely girls, youngsters and overseas nationals — in change for about 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, in addition to a quick halt within the preventing.
Roughly 130 hostages stay in Gaza, however Israel says a couple of quarter of them are lifeless.
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Shurafa reported from Rafah, Gaza Strip, and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writers Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
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