US President Joe Biden has said that Israel is ready to stop attacks on Gaza during the month of Ramadan and that a ceasefire could begin next week.
The US President said this during a TV interview.
He said ‘my national security adviser has told me that we are close to a ceasefire, the matter has not been decided yet but I expect a ceasefire by March 4’.
This statement of the US President came at a time when the mediator countries were working on a peace agreement to stop the ongoing war in Gaza.
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Joe Biden said that ‘Ramadan is about to begin and there is an agreement under which Israel will not engage in hostilities during Ramadan, which will also allow time for the release of hostages’.
It should be noted that the month of Ramadan may start in Gaza on March 10.
In this regard, last week there was a meeting between the officials of Israel, America, Egypt, and Qatar in Paris, in which the proposals presented are being reviewed by Hamas.
Two senior Hamas officials said that the US president’s statement regarding the peace deal is premature because we are still evaluating the offer.
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According to one official, ‘there are still gaps that need to be filled, fundamental and central issues such as a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces have not been clearly discussed, which is delaying the agreement’.
Sources involved in the negotiations told Reuters that the draft peace agreement has been sent to Hamas, under which there will be a 40-day ceasefire, while Hamas will release 40 hostages and Israel will release 400 Palestinian prisoners.
Under the agreement, Israel would move troops out of the settlements while allowing Palestinians other than able-bodied men to return to their homes.
Similarly, the process of providing aid will be expedited and the houses of the homeless will be constructed immediately.
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But the agreement did not include Hamas’ main condition, which called for a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal.
Hamas and Qatari delegations will meet in Qatar this week to finalize the details of the ceasefire.
The American president said during the TV program that if measures are not taken to protect civilians, Israel will lose international support.
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“Many innocent people have been killed and Israel has slowed down its attacks on Rafah,” he added.
He said that Israel has promised to make it possible for as many Palestinians to leave Rafah as possible before the attacks escalate.
According to the American president, the process of establishing a Palestinian state can begin with a temporary ceasefire.
On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas’s demands in a statement on February 26, saying that it is up to the Palestinian group to accept Israel’s new offer or not.
It should be noted that during the Israeli attacks in Gaza, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been martyred so far, in which the majority are women and children.