President Biden spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday following Hamas’ response to the hostage and ceasefire agreements, Fox News Digital confirmed.
The two leaders discussed Hamas’ response to the ceasefire agreement and the release of the remaining 116 hostages held by the terrorist group in the October 7 attacks that killed nearly 1,200 people.
Netanyahu was due to convene a meeting of his security cabinet to draw up a response to Hamas’ latest stance, which could be a crucial step in ending Israel’s nine-month air and ground war that has devastated the Gaza Strip. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip’s health ministry said the death toll in the war had risen to more than 38,000, with at least 87,445 wounded.
Netanyahu denies New York Times report citing anonymous officials that Israel wants a ceasefire in Gaza
President Biden (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Getty Images)
Neither the White House nor Netanyahu provided many details about the conversation, but Netanyahu reportedly offered his congratulations to Biden and the American people on marking US Independence Day.
According to an Israeli spokesman, Prime Minister Netanyahu said there would be no freedom in the world without the United States, while President Biden said there would be no safety for Jews in the world without Israel.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu briefed President Biden on the decision to send a delegation to continue hostage negotiations and reiterated Israel’s commitment to the principles, particularly its commitment to ending the war only after all objectives have been achieved,” the spokesman said.
The United States is garnering global backing for a plan to free hostages held by militant groups in exchange for a long-term ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, but so far neither side appears to have fully embraced the plan.
The current agreement, reportedly based on a resolution outlined by President Biden in May and approved by the UN Security Council, begins with an initial six-week ceasefire and the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from populated areas of Gaza, and the return of Palestinian civilians to all areas within the territory.
The second phase would involve “a permanent cessation of hostilities and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza in exchange for the release of all other hostages remaining in Gaza.”
The third phase will see the start of a “large-scale, multi-year reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip and the return of the remains of hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip to their families.”
Gaza militants fire rockets at Israel, tank advance intensifies in north and south
An Israeli firefighter walks near smoke and flames from a rocket fired across the border from Lebanon into Israel as cross-border hostilities continue between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in northern Israel, June 12, 2024. (Reuters/Gil Eliyahu)
Hamas offered “revisions” to the proposal last month, but the United States said some were unworkable and gave no details. The group sent another response on Wednesday to Egypt and Qatar, which are mediating the talks, but did not provide details. A U.S. official said the Biden administration was reviewing the response and that it was constructive but needed more work. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Hamas political official Bassem Naim said the group neither accepted nor rejected the US proposal but “responded with several ideas” to bridge the gap between the two sides, without giving details.
However, the transition from phase one to phase two appears to be the main sticking point.
Hamas fears that Israel will resume the war after the first phase after making unrealistic demands in the negotiations. Israeli officials have expressed concern that Hamas will similarly drag out the negotiations and the initial ceasefire indefinitely and not release the remaining prisoners.
Israel’s Channel 12, citing a senior Israeli official, reported that Hamas had dropped its demand for guarantees that Israel would end the war and fully withdraw from Gaza in order to agree to the first phase of the agreement.
Additionally, the Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that Hamas’ plan includes Israel withdrawing its forces from the Rafah checkpoint area, in line with its agreement with Egypt, but does not require a complete withdrawal from the crucial Philadelphia corridor.
Families of Israeli hostages are marching to Jerusalem carrying photos of their loved ones being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. (Matan Golan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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Prime Minister Netanyahu has expressed skepticism about the agreement, saying Israel remains committed to destroying Hamas.
“The war will end when Israel achieves all its objectives, including the destruction of Hamas and the release of all hostages,” Netanyahu said in a video statement in Hebrew earlier this week. Netanyahu slammed a New York Times report citing a senior Israeli official who claimed some military leaders wanted a ceasefire with Hamas.
Over the past nine months, 109 hostages have been freed, seven have been rescued by the IDF, and 19 bodies have been retrieved by the army from Gaza, including three who were mistakenly killed by the army, The Times of Israel reported.
Fox News’ Yonat Frilling and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
