'Ceasefire, Cessation Of Hostilities': Biden Unveils Proposal To End Gaza War, Hamas Reacts Positively
Withdrawal of IDF troops from populated areas of Gaza, six-week ceasefire and exchange of hostages with Palestinian prisoners have been included in the proposal.
US President Joe Biden on Friday unveiled a new three-phase Israeli proposal to end the war in Gaza which includes ceasefire, surge in humanitarian aid and a permanent cessation of hostilities. The proposal would begin with a six-week ceasefire under which the Israel Defence Forces would withdraw from populated areas of Gaza.
There would also be a "surge" of humanitarian aid as well as exchange of some hostages for Palestinian prisoners, as per a BBC report.
Under the deal, a permanent "cessation of hostilities" and a major reconstruction plan for Gaza is also on the cards, said the US President.
Palestinian militant group, Hamas said that it views the proposal "positively".
The first phase of the proposed plan would include a "full and complete ceasefire", with withdrawal of IDF troops from populated areas and the exchange of hostages of Palestinian prisoners, Biden said on a Friday at the White House.
"This is truly a decisive moment," he said. "Hamas says it wants a ceasefire. This deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it."
The ceasefire would allow "600 trucks carrying aid into Gaza every single day", thus increasing humanitarian aid to reach the coastal strip.
In the second phase, all remaining living hostages returned including male soldiers. The ceasefire would then become "the cessation of hostilities, permanently," BBC reported.
The move was welcomed by UK Foreign Minister David Cameron who urged Hamas to accept the proposal. The group "must accept this deal so we can see a stop in the fighting," Cameron said on X.
"We’ve long argued a stop in the fighting can be turned into a permanent peace if we are all prepared to take the right steps," said the UK Minister, adding "Let’s seize this moment and bring this conflict to an end."
UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres also welcomed the development saying the world had "witnessed too much suffering [and] destruction in Gaza" and said it was "time to stop".
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