Biden says Israel is ready to suspend fighting in Gaza during Ramadan

 Biden says Israel is ready to suspend fighting in Gaza  during Ramadan. Hamas says deal not yet done:

Two senior Hamas officials said Mr. Biden's comments suggesting a general agreement had already been reached were premature.

Published: Tuesday, February 27, 2024, 3:59 p.m. 

Joe Biden has said Israel is ready to halt attacks on Gaza during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan under a ceasefire that could be signed as early as next week, but Hamas officials and said the US president's statement that he was considering a ceasefire proposal was premature. Biden's comments, recorded on Monday and broadcast shortly after midnight on Tuesday, come as negotiators attempt to broker the first expanded ceasefire agreement in the war that has devastated the Gaza Strip since October last year. It was announced on.

"Ramadan is approaching, and to give us time to rescue all the hostages, the Israelis will not be operating during Ramadan," Biden said on NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers." I agreed,” he said. Biden said earlier Monday that he expected a ceasefire agreement to be negotiated by Monday, March 4. Ramadan is scheduled to start on March 10th.

"My national security adviser says they're getting closer. They're getting closer. It's not over yet. My hope is that by next Monday there will be a ceasefire," Biden said.

Hamas is considering a proposal agreed at a meeting in Paris last week between mediators from Israel, the United States, Egypt and Qatar. This is the most serious ceasefire push since the previous one collapsed a week later in November. Two senior Hamas officials said Mr. Biden's comments suggesting a general agreement had already been reached were premature. "There are still big gaps to fill," a Hamas official told Reuters. “The main and most important issues of a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces have not been clearly stated, delaying reaching an agreement.”

A source close to the talks told Reuters that a draft proposal sent to Hamas would see Hamas release about 40 hostages, including women, under 19s, over 50s and sick people, in exchange for about 400 Palestinians. He said he was calling for a 40-day ceasefire. The ratio of prisoners is 10:1. Israel will redeploy its troops outside of populated areas. Gaza residents, except for men of combat age, will be allowed to return to areas they previously evacuated, and support will be expanded, including much-needed equipment to house the displaced. But the proposal does not appear to meet Hamas's main demand in previous talks, that a ceasefire include a permanent end to the war and a commitment to Israel's withdrawal. It also does not include the release of Israeli hostages who are soldiers or able-bodied men of fighting age, nor does it include Hamas' demands to release up to 1,500 detainees. Delegations from Hamas and Israel are in Qatar this week to discuss details of a ceasefire.

Biden: ``Too many innocent people were killed''

 Biden told NBC that Israel risks losing international support if it does not do more to save civilians. Israel has threatened to attack Rafah, the last city on Gaza's southern tip, where more than half of the 2.3 million residents are imprisoned, most sleeping in makeshift tents or public buildings. "Too many innocent people are being killed. And Israel has delayed its attack in Rafah," Biden said, adding that Israel could allow Palestinians to evacuate Rafah before ramping up operations there. He added that he is working hard to make this happen. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed as "delusional" Hamas's earlier counter-offer for a ceasefire that would release all hostages, force Israel to withdraw its troops from Gaza and reach an agreement to end the war. 

He says the war will not stop until Hamas is destroyed. On Monday, Prime Minister Netanyahu described Hamas' demands as "from another planet" and said it was up to Hamas to decide whether to accept Israel's latest offer. Biden said on NBC that a temporary ceasefire would jump-start the process for Palestinians to establish their own state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected an independent Palestinian state, saying it is incompatible with Israel's need for full security control of all the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

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