United States President Joe Biden confirmed on Friday afternoon that, while more work is needed, Israel and the Hamas terror group have agreed on a ceasefire deal framework that would see the release of hostages.
Six weeks ago I laid out a comprehensive framework for how to achieve a ceasefire and bring the hostages home. There is still work to do and these are complex issues, but that framework is now agreed to by both Israel and Hamas.My team is making progress and I’m determined to…
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 12, 2024
“Six weeks ago I laid out a comprehensive framework for how to achieve a ceasefire and bring the hostages home,” Biden wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “There is still work to do and these are complex issues, but that framework is now agreed to by both Israel and Hamas. My team is making progress and I’m determined to get this done.”
On Thursday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that there were “miles to go on a ceasefire” but that “signs are more positive today than they have been in recent weeks.”
What might the framework look like?
In a Wednesday op-ed, a senior US official told the Washington Post that a framework has reportedly been agreed upon for a ceasefire-hostage release deal in Gaza.
The opinion piece reported that it would lead to the release of some hostages and that the parties involved are in the negotiating phases of implementing such a deal.
Other senior officials warned that although the framework for the deal exists, a final agreement “is not imminent” and that working on the details is complex and expected to take time. US officials say the agreement would see a resolution in three stages.
The official claimed that part of the deal would see an “interim governance” plan that would be utilized, in which neither Israel nor Hamas would control Gaza. Before this new government takes control, 33 hostages would be released.
The final stage of the deal, according to the official, would see the release of male IDF soldiers held captive and a complete IDF withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Nine months into the war
The war against Hamas has now surpassed nine months, and some 120 hostages remain in Hamas captivity. The war against the terror group ruling the Gaza enclave has also resulted in a large amount of damage.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has claimed that over 38,000 Palestinians were killed since October 7. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilian and combatant in its death count and has been accused of inflating the figure by a number of Israeli and international figures.
Israel and Hamas did not immediately confirm whether they had accepted the deal’s framework.
Further, Biden did not explain how his statement differed from the one issued last week, which allowed talks to resume on the three-phase agreement.
US officials, including CIA Director William Burn, have been in the region all week in an attempt to close the deal. As of this morning, however, there are still many gaps between the two sides.
Jerusalem Post Staff and Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.
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