On Friday, US President Joe Biden expressed that no Middle Eastern faction should compromise efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. Although he has indicated that a potential resolution may be approaching, Biden cautioned that it wasn’t conclusive. In his tweets, Biden reiterated that no parties within the region should disrupt the said process.
Later, in a conversation with journalists, Biden seemed hopeful about the outcome of a ceasefire. He commented, “As of an hour ago, it’s still in play. I’m optimistic. It’s far from over,”. He dropped a hint about the existence of some remaining issues, but chose not to elaborate.
When asked how soon the ceasefire would begin upon successful negotiations, he responded, “That remains to be seen.”
Israel has stressed that only the disintegration of the Palestinian Islamist group, Hamas, will lead to peace, whereas Hamas wants a ceaseless ceasefire, rather than a temporary one.
On Friday, ceasefire discussions held in Doha were suspended, with plans to continue the following week. In a joint announcement, the US, in alliance with Qatar and Egypt, indicated that a fresh proposal had been offered by Washington. The US, being a key ally of Israel, believes that a ceasefire will diminish the increasing danger of a wider conflict between Israel and Gaza.
Biden originally proposed a three-step ceasefire method in a speech on May 31st. however, repeated interruptions occurred. The latest eruption of violence in the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian issue began on October 7th when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities and around 250 captives, as per Israel’s data.
The following Israeli invasion on the Hamas-controlled area led to over 40,000 Palestinian deaths, as reported by the regional health department. Nearly the total population of 2.3 million have been forced to evacuate, leading to famine and accusations of genocide at the International Court, which is fervently denied by Israel.