Speaking at a fundraiser in Seattle, Washington on Saturday, President Joe Biden said the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas could come to a halt if the US-designated Islamic terrorist organization “released” its remaining hostages. He said that there is a sex.
Biden: “If Hamas releases the hostages, the women, the elderly, the injured, there will be a cease-fire tomorrow.” Said. “Like I said, it’s up to Hamas. If they want to do it, they could end it tomorrow.”
Hamas launched a land, sea, and air attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 Israelis and taking more than 250 hostages. Some of the hostages have since been freed, but about 130 still remain.
After the attack, Israel launched a self-defense operation in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Biden at Seattle fundraiser: “If Hamas releases the hostages, the women, the elderly, the injured, there will be a ceasefire tomorrow. Like I said, it’s up to Hamas — If they want to do that, so do we.” It could be over tomorrow. ”
— Edward Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) May 11, 2024
Biden’s comments came days after he said in an interview with CNN that he would withhold artillery and weapons if Israel invaded Rafah, Hamas’ last stronghold. A week after Biden threatened to withhold weapons from Israel, the United States had halted shipments of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel.
“If they enter Rafah, they haven’t entered Rafah yet, if they enter Rafah, they have historically been used to deal with Rafah, to deal with cities. I’ve made it clear that I’m not going to provide weapons to address that issue,” Biden said in an interview.
Biden’s interview with CNN came after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Rafah toward the Kerem Shalom border crossing, which is used as an entry point for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The attack left four Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and 10 others injured.
The next day, the IDF called on residents to evacuate Rafah for safety. Hours later, Hamas called for a ceasefire. In response, Israeli officials said Hamas had begged for a ceasefire and agreed to terms that Israel had neither proposed nor agreed to.
On Tuesday, the IDF sent tanks into Rafah to take control of the area across the Israeli-Egyptian border.
As of Saturday, the IDF prompt More residents are being evacuated as Rafah intensifies operations in preparation for a possible ground invasion.
