President Biden Welcomes The Implementation Of The Hamas-Israeli Armistice In Gaza

JAKARTA - United States President Joe Biden welcomed the Hamas-Israel ceasefire in the Gaza Strip which took effect on Sunday, saying hundreds of trucks entered the coastal enclave to help civilians.

"Today the weapons in Gaza have stopped speaking up," President Biden said in a brief speech during a visit to North Kalimantan, South Carolina, as reported by Reuters on January 20.

"We estimate several hundred trucks will enter the Gaza Strip perhaps right as I speak."

Sunday is Joe Biden's last day in office. The president, who will step down, said the ceasefire deal was one of the toughest negotiations he had ever followed, but defended his decision to support Israel for months of attacks that killed nearly 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza.

"The path to this deal is not at all easy, it's a long way to go," said President Biden.

"However, we reached this point today due to the pressure Israel has built on Hamas, which is supported by the United States," he added.

The latest conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, when a Palestinian militant group led by Hamas attacked Israel's southern region, leaving 1,200 people dead and 250 others held hostage, according to Israeli calculations.

Yesterday, Gaza's health authorities confirmed that the death toll from Palestine since October 2023 has reached 46,913 people. Meanwhile, there were 110,750 injured. The majority of victims were children and women, quoted from WAFA.

Most civilians in the Gaza Strip have been displaced for 15 months of Israeli bombing aimed at eliminating Hamas militants attacking Israel on October 7, 2023.