President Biden calls for ceasefire as Israel pushes deeper into Rafah

2024-06-01 15:38:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

As Israeli forces continue to push deeper into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, President Joe Biden declared that Hamas had lost the capabilities to carry out a major terrorist attack on Israel. As VOA correspondent Patsy Widakuswara reports, the US president has also backed what he described as Israel's latest offer of a cease-fire deal.

Israeli soldiers penetrated deeper into the southern Gaza city of Rafah after taking control of the Philadelphia Corridor, a strategic territory along Gaza's border with Egypt.

Civilians were also killed during the offensive, while the delivery of humanitarian aid was reduced.

A million people have fled the city, most of whom had been displaced earlier in the war.

"It's time for this war to end," President Biden said as he talked about a three-phase cease-fire plan he says Israel has agreed to.

"Israel has made a proposal. Hamas says it wants a ceasefire. This agreement is an opportunity to prove whether they really want a ceasefire," says President Biden.

The first phase would allow for a six-week temporary cessation of hostilities, during which Israeli forces would withdraw from the most populated areas, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for the release of women, elderly and the wounded who were taken hostage by Hamas.

Israel would allow Palestinians to return to their homes and allow more humanitarian aid to enter.

During the second phase, Israeli forces would completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip, in exchange for the release of all remaining hostages, including male Israeli soldiers. The ceasefire would apply even if the talks could drag on for the first six weeks.

In the third and final phase, the reconstruction of Gaza would begin and the remains of all dead hostages would be returned.

"The people of Israel should know that they can offer this without any further risk to their security, because they have severely damaged Hamas forces over the past eight months," President Bien said.

As the talks continue, the US leader described Israel's plan as a "comprehensive new proposal", not a ceasefire. The plan, however, does not appear to be much different from past proposals that Israel has rejected as it falls short of its war objective of destroying Hamas.

"I am not ready to give up. I am not ready to end the war before all the objectives are met," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Shortly after Mr. Biden's speech, the Israeli prime minister's office issued a statement saying the proposal allows Israel to continue the war until "the destruction of Hamas' military and governance capabilities."

While President Biden sees the deal as a historic opportunity, details are unclear, including the level of Israeli military presence at each stage and who will govern post-war Gaza.

"If there is a strong principle that Hamas will not be the governing authority in Gaza after Israel withdraws, if they will not provide security, then who will? What exactly will the nature of a subsequent Palestinian authority be?” says Gerald Feierstein, director of the Middle East Institute's Arabian Peninsula Affairs program.

Meanwhile, Hamas "appreciates positively" the content of President Biden's speech, said the organization that is considered terrorist by the US and the EU through a statement./ Voa