In a statement given by US President Joe Biden, he said that he is hopeful that Israel and Hamas will settle the conflict and that there will be a ceasefire by Monday. But Israel says that both countries are not even close to a ceasefire. Qatar, which has been acting as a mediator between Israel and Hamas along with Egypt, said that there is no such deal that has to be announced.
The representative for the State Department, Matthew Miller, said, “We’d certainly welcome one by this weekend…we are trying to push this deal over the finish line.” Mr. Miller avoided any conversation on the topic of the negotiations between the two countries. He added, “We think it’s possible.”
In an interview, a Hamas official told the media, “The priority for us in Hamas is not the exchange of detainees, but the cessation of the war. It is not logical, after all this loss of life and property, to accept any offer that does not lead to a complete ceasefire, the return of the displaced, and the reconstruction of Gaza.” On the issue of vetoing a resolution in the UN regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and introducing the idea of a temporary ceasefire, the US faced a severe criticism. The US also warned Israel to avoid attacking the Rafah border of Gaza “under current circumstances” as 1.5 million Palestinians are residing there.
In an interview on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Joe Biden said, “There are too many innocent people that are being killed. And Israel has slowed down the attacks in Rafah. They have to. And they’ve made a commitment to me that they’re going to see to it that there is ability to evacuate significant portions of Rafah before they go and take out the remainder of Hamas. Ramadan’s coming up and there has been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in activities during Ramadan as well, in order to give us time to get all the hostages out.”
The Israeli military has advised the prime minister’s office to evacuate the Palestinians and Israeli civilians from Rafah and neighboring areas.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu insisted that Israeli forces would invade Rafah at all costs. It will not take into consideration any agreement regarding a ceasefire between the two borders. In an interview with a news channel, he said, “We can’t leave the last Hamas stronghold without taking care of it. If we have a deal, it’ll be delayed somewhat. But it’ll happen. If we don’t have a deal, we’ll do it anyway.”
On Monday, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh of the Palestinian Authority (PA) handed over his resignation to the government in the occupied West Bank. A technocratic government is expected to be formed in Palestine as President Mahmoud Abbas accepts Mohammad Shtayyeh’s decision to step down.
Now America is pressuring the Palestinian president, Mr. Abbas, to make amendments to the Palestinian Authority (PA) to enable it to control Gaza as the Israel-Hamas war in the region ends. In a vision of Israel shared by Netanyahu last week, no role of the PA could be seen anywhere.
