Biden Backs Cease-Fire Deal as Israeli Forces Advance in Gaza

As Israeli forces pushed deeper into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, President Joe Biden announced on Friday that Hamas had lost its capacity to carry out major terrorist attacks on Israel. He also endorsed what he described as the latest Israeli cease-fire proposal.

“It’s time for this war to end, for the day after to begin,” Biden stated in a White House address.

Biden outlined a three-phase plan, beginning with a six-week temporary pause in fighting, aimed at leading to a more permanent cessation of hostilities with Hamas.

The first phase would involve a “full and complete cease-fire,” according to Biden, necessitating the withdrawal of Israeli forces from heavily populated Gaza areas. This phase would also see the release of some hostages, including women, the elderly, the wounded, and American citizens, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Additionally, Israel would facilitate increased humanitarian aid in Gaza and support the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes throughout Gaza, including the northern regions.

Following the initial six-week pause, phase two would see a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza in exchange for the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, including male Israeli soldiers.

“I’ll be honest with you, there are a number of things to be negotiated to move from phase one to phase two,” Biden cautioned.

He assured that the cease-fire would persist as long as negotiations continued, even if they extended beyond the initial six weeks. U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari mediators would persist in their efforts until all agreements were finalized. Biden emphasized that if Hamas adhered to its commitments, Israel had agreed to transform the temporary pause into a permanent cessation of hostilities.

In the third and final phase, a major reconstruction plan for Gaza would commence, and any remains of hostages who had been killed would be returned to their families.

While Biden characterized the plan as a “comprehensive new proposal” by Israel, it largely mirrored a previous proposal that Hamas had accepted and Israel had rejected, apart from the sustained cease-fire during negotiations.

Hamas responded positively to Biden’s speech, stating it “considers positively” the contents of his address. However, Israel’s reaction was more reserved. Shortly after Biden’s speech, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement indicating that while it had presented a proposal to return hostages, it remained committed to continuing the war until “the destruction of Hamas’ military and governing capabilities” was achieved.

Biden suggested the deal could pave the way for a “historic” normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, though many details, including the level of Israeli military presence in each phase and postwar governance of Gaza, remain unclear. Gerald Feierstein, director of the Middle East Institute’s Arabian Peninsula Affairs Program, highlighted these uncertainties.