US President Joe Biden expressed hope for an imminent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and mentioned Monday next week as the time horizon. “My national security adviser tells me we’re close,” Biden said yesterday during a visit to New York. “My hope is that we will have a ceasefire next Monday.” At the same time, the US President emphasized that there has not yet been an agreement.
The US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying for weeks to broker a new ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic organization Hamas. This is intended, among other things, to allow for the release of hostages held by Hamas and an expansion of aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.
Media: Negotiations at an impasse
According to media reports, Israel's difficult and indirect negotiations with Hamas over the release of hostages and a ceasefire in the Gaza war are not taking off.
Israeli television channels Channel 12 and Kan quoted officials last night as saying that a negotiating framework proposed by mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States remains inconsistent with Hamas' demands. Hamas, in turn, accused Israel of adopting a blocking stance.
The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the major attack on Israel, on October 7, carried out by Hamas, which the EU and the US classify as a terrorist organization. Islamic fighters have committed atrocities primarily against civilians; According to Israeli data, around 1,160 people were killed and around 250 hostages were kidnapped in the Gaza Strip.
In response to the Hamas attack, Israel has taken military action in the Gaza Strip ever since, with the stated aim of destroying Hamas. According to Hamas figures, which cannot be independently verified, more than 29,700 people have been killed in Palestinian territory since then.