President Joe Biden on Friday unveiled a detailed, three-phase Gaza peace plan, the Associated Press reported.
Biden unveiled the proposal aimed at ending nearly eight months of conflict in the Middle East. according to According to the Associated Press, the plan is focused primarily on freeing hostages held in Gaza. Speaking at a White House news conference, Biden asserted that Hamas does not have the capacity to launch another major attack on Israel and expressed optimism about the possibility of halting hostilities.
Biden details three-step hostage deal to end Israel-Hamas war https://t.co/hAemmlkI2Z pic.twitter.com/jT1pgsBJU5
— New York Post (@nypost) May 31, 2024
According to the media report, the first phase of the proposed agreement provides for a comprehensive six-week “total ceasefire,” during which Israeli forces would withdraw from populated areas of Gaza. This phase would also include the exchange of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners for a large number of hostages, including women, elderly and wounded. This phase would also see the release of American hostages and the return of the bodies of those who died, as well as a significant increase in humanitarian aid, with 600 trucks being allowed into Gaza each day.
The second phase will focus on the release of all remaining hostages, including Israeli soldiers, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, according to the Associated Press.
“As long as Hamas abides by its commitments, the temporary ceasefire would become, in the words of the Israeli proposal, a ‘permanent cessation of hostilities,'” Biden said, according to the Associated Press.
Israeli army armored vehicles operate near the border with the Gaza Strip on May 30, 2024, as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Jack Ghez/AFP via Getty Images)
The final stage will be the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip to address the extensive damage caused by the conflict. Despite the planned proposals, the situation remains fragile and numerous logistical and political challenges must be overcome, including the exact conditions for the release of hostages and prisoners, the media reported. (Related: Report: New viral slogan targeting Israeli campaign in Rafah has unexpected source)
In addition to geopolitical dynamics, congressional leaders invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the U.S. Congress. The invitation was floated during Biden’s reelection campaign and was shaped by a range of political pressures that challenged the Biden administration’s conflict management and Netanyahu’s hardline military tactics, according to the Associated Press.
Biden acknowledged the complexities of moving forward with the Israeli proposal, noting there were many “details to negotiate” to move from the first phase to the next. According to the Associated Press, he commented that Israeli forces have stepped up operations in the central Rafah region as part of a broader offensive in Gaza, describing it as a “real defining moment.”
