US Hopes Ceasefire In Gaza Is Implemented If Hamas Agrees

DOCmen WFP/Ali Jadallah/Rafah, Gaza

JAKARTA - The US State Department hopes that the proposed ceasefire publicly disclosed by President Joe Biden last week will be implemented if Palestinian fighters, Hamas, agree.

The statement was made on Monday (3/6) in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's comments about Biden explaining an incomplete version of the plan.

"The war will be halted to repatriate the hostages, and after that we will hold discussions. There are other details that the US president has not conveyed to the public," Netanyahu told lawmakers according to an Israeli media report reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Tuesday, June 4.

However, US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said the Biden administration was fully convinced that Biden's remarks were Israel's proposal.

"Obviously, it is a proposal they have compiled after consulting with the United States, Qatar, and Egypt - the three countries that have played a mediation role during this process, but this is ultimately Israel's proposal in terms of its position," Miller said.

"The only thing that blocks the current direct ceasefire is Hamas," he added, adding

The plan was submitted to Hamas on Thursday last week. The White House said it was still waiting for Hamas' official response.

Hamas, in part, said it would respond positively to any proposals that included a permanent ceasefire, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction efforts, repatriation of refugees, and a complete settlement of the hostage exchange deal.

Biden's proposal covers three stages of a ceasefire, culminating in years of rebuilding the destroyed Gaza region, repatriation of all hostages -- both alive and dead -- detained in Gaza.

The first phase will begin with a six-week ceasefire to free Israelis including women, the elderly, and those injured, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Israeli troops will also be withdrawn from a number of locations by senior Biden administration officials referred to as densely populated areas.

The bodies of several hostages will also be returned, and Palestinian civilians will be allowed to return to their homes and neighborhoods throughout Gaza, including in the northern region where Israel has imposed massive restrictions.

Delivery of humanitarian aid will also be drastically increased to 600 trucks per day, Biden said.

Negotiators will seek to address unresolved issues during the first six-week phase, including the ratio of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for the release of Israelis held hostage.

The proposal includes sentences that allow the ceasefire to be extended before the second phase begins, as long as talks continue.

The ratio of prisoner swaps is an important issue because in the second stage all surviving hostages will be released, including all Israeli male military personnel. Israeli forces will also completely withdraw from Gaza.

The final phase includes the start of the rebuilding of Gaza, which is estimated to take up to five years, and the repatriation of additional hostages who are still being held in Gaza.

More than 36,400 Palestinians have been killed since Israel started its war in Gaza eight months ago.

Most of the dead were women and children, and more than 82,600 others were injured, according to local health authorities.

A cross-border attack led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, left around 1,200 deaths on the part of Israel.

Israel is accused of committing genocide in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately stop its operations in the southern city of Rafah, where more than one million Palestinians sought refuge from war before the city invaded on May 6.