Netanyahu's aide: We accept Biden's plan to end the war, but he wants intervention

2024-06-02 16:14:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Netanyahu's aide: We accept Biden's plan to end the war, but he wants

An aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Sunday that Israel has accepted a draft deal to end the war in Gaza being pushed forward by President Joe Biden, although he said the plan is not perfect and has need a lot of intervention.

In an interview with the British newspaper "Sunday Times", Prime Minister Netanyahu's adviser on foreign policy, Ophir Falk, said that Israel strongly disagreed with President Biden's proposal, adding that "it is not a good deal, but that Israel wants the release of all hostages".

"There are many elements that need to be discussed," he said, adding that Israel's conditions, including the release of hostages and the destruction of Hamas, have not changed.

On Friday, President Biden offered details of a three-phase plan, which he said was the Israeli government's plan to end the war in Gaza.

The first phase of the agreement would include a ceasefire as well as the release of a number of people being held hostage.

The second phase will involve the release of all surviving hostages, including soldiers, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Following the plan, based on these stages, appears to imply that Hamas would continue to play a role in additional deals brokered by Egypt and Qatar, which appears likely to conflict with Israel's determination to resume the campaign to eliminate the Hamas group. , which has the support of Iran.

Counselor Ophir Falk confirmed Mr. Nentanyahu's position that there will be no "permanent cease-fire without Israel's objectives being met."

So far, Hamas has welcomed President Biden's initiative.

"Mr. Biden's speech included positive ideas, but we want the proposal to materialize within the framework of a comprehensive agreement that meets our demands ," senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Jazeera on Saturday.

Hamas demands guarantees for an end to the offensive in Gaza, the withdrawal of all Israeli forces, free movement for Palestinians and aid for the reconstruction of Gaza.

Meanwhile, protests continue in Israel against the Netanyahu government and the way he is conducting the war in Gaza.

On Saturday, police used water cannons to disperse the protesters. Continuous protests are held in Tel Aviv, with calls against the government of Israel and demands for the release of hostages.

Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7 killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped around 250 people, according to Israeli data.

Israeli bombardment and ground offensives have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas.

Israel says that during the fighting it lost 290 bodies./ VOA