Qatar: Joe Biden's Proposal Leads To A Permanent Armistice In Gaza

UNSPLASH/ObviouslyMER ILLUSTRATION YZ

JAKARTA - The Qatar government said the principles proposed by US President Joe Biden offered a roadmap to a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and ended a crisis sparked by a feud between Israel and the Palestinian fighter group, Hamas.

"The principles outlined by President Biden regarding the Gaza ceasefire and the exchange of hostages meet all parties' demands," Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed al-Ansari said at a press conference in Doha.

Last week, Biden said Israel submitted a ceasefire agreement consisting of three stages.

The proposal is expected to end hostilities in Gaza and secure the process of releasing Israelis held hostage by Hamas in the enclave.

Three stages in the proposal include a ceasefire, an exchange of Israelis held hostage with Palestinians detained in Tel Aviv prisons, as well as Gaza reconstruction.

However, Washington and Tel Aviv have disagreements over the proposal.

Al-Ansari said so far there has been no clear position from Israel or Palestine regarding Biden's proposal.

"In Israel, there is a difference of opinion between ministers (about the proposal), with some supporting Biden's initiative and others against him. There is also no clear attitude from Hamas regarding the initiative," he said.

Hamas previously said they would respond to Biden's proposal "positively".

On Monday (3/6), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was not prepared to stop the war in Gaza.

He also claimed Biden's statement about the ceasefire's proposal was "inaccurate."

Itamar's right-wing National Security Minister Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to overthrow the government if Netanyahu approved Biden's ceasefire plan.

Hamas is believed to have held more than 120 Israelis hostage in Gaza, including an undisclosed number of bodies, according to Israeli data.

Israel has continued its brutal attacks on Gaza since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 despite UN Security Council resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire.

More than 36,500 Palestinians have died in Gaza, mostly women and children. Meanwhile, nearly 83,000 others were injured, according to local health authorities.

During nearly eight months of Israel's war, much of Gaza's territory was devastated and exacerbated by the limited access to food, clean water, and medicines.

Israel is accused of committing genocide at the International Court, which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately stop its operations in Rafah.

The city, which is located in southern Gaza, was used as a shelter for more than 1 million Palestinians, before being attacked by Israeli forces on May 6.