US President Joe Biden announces three-phase deal proposed by Israel to end war on Gaza

United States President Joe Biden on Friday said Israel had proposed a three-phase ceasefire deal to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, reported the Associated Press.

Israel’s war on Gaza began after Hamas’ incursion into southern Israel on October 7 that killed 1,200 people. The militant group had also taken over 200 people hostage.

A hundred of those hostages are still believed to be alive and in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera. Some of the hostages were released in November as part of a brief ceasefire agreement and others were killed as a result of the war.

Since October, Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on Gaza. The attacks have killed at least 36,700 persons, including over 15,000 children.

During a press conference at the White House on Friday, Biden said that Hamas was “no longer capable” of carrying out another large-scale attack on Israel. He also called the latest proposal “a road map to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages”.

The US president said that the first phase of the proposal, lasting for six weeks, would entail a “full and complete ceasefire”. It would also include the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza.

Humanitarian assistance would also flow in during the first phase, with 600 trucks being allowed into the besieged...

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