Biden Administration Strives To Reach Gaza's Armistice In 2 Weeks

Khan Younis Gaza/UNRWA

JAKARTA - The soon-to-end administration of the US President, Joe Biden, is "working intensively" to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, a blockaded Palestinian territory, in the coming two weeks.

"We really want to finish this in the next two weeks," said Foreign Minister Antony Blinken as quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Monday, January 6.

Blinken said there was an increase in engagement, including by the Palestinian independence struggle group, Hamas, to reach an agreement, but we haven't seen an agreement on any final points.

Blinken visited South Korea for two days, in order to hold talks with Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, as part of his last visit before the inauguration of the elected US President, Donald Trump, on January 20.

The two foreign ministers held a joint press conference in Seoul, South Korea.

"We need Hamas to make the necessary final decision to finalize the deal, which will basically change the situation for the hostages, free them; provide assistance to the Gaza people; and for the region as a whole, creating opportunities to move forward towards something better, safer for all parties involved," Blinken said.

"If we don't get this done in the next two weeks, I'm sure this will be achieved at some time, hopefully sooner than expected," he added.

The Israeli army continues to wage genocide wars in Gaza that have killed more than 45,800 people, mostly women and children, since cross-border attacks by Palestinian independence group Hamas on October 7, 2023, although the UN Security Council has called for an immediate ceasefire.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Israel's chief government authority Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense chief Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing genocide cases at the International Court of Justice over the deadly war it wages in the region.