Biden, Blinken say cease-fire deal is ‘in hands of Hamas’
President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas is “in the hands” of the terror group.
“It’s in the hands of Hamas right now,” Biden, 81, told reporters before boarding Air Force One in Maryland. “We will know in a couple of days what’s gonna happen.”
The president described the current cease-fire deal — brokered by US, Qatari and Egyptian negotiators — as a “ration offer,” noting that Israel has been cooperating with mediators.
The deal calls for a six-week pause in hostilities in Gaza and the release of 40 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. It would also pave the way for more aid to be delivered to Gaza refugees.
Without a deal in place to free the remaining 134 hostages and allow more aid into Gaza, Biden warned that things would become “very, very dangerous” by Ramadan, which begins around March 10 — specifically in Jerusalem, where tensions between Israelis and Palestinians continue to rise over the war.
Blinken had made similar comments earlier Tuesday, calling on Hamas to accept the current 40-day cease-fire deal laid out by negotiators.
“We have an opportunity for an immediate cease-fire that can bring hostages home, that can dramatically increase the amount of humanitarian assistance getting to Palestinians who so desperately need it, and then also set the conditions for an enduring resolution,” Blinken said during the Qatari prime minister’s visit to Washington.
“It is on Hamas to make decisions about whether it is prepared to engage in that cease-fire,” he added.
Along with calling on Hamas to act, Blinken said it was urgent for Israel to continue to support aid deliveries to Gaza.
Despite Biden and Blinken’s call to action, Hamas appeared to signal that they may not budge on their demands of a permanent cease-fire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
“The security and safety of our people will be achieved only by a permanent cease-fire, the end of the aggression and the withdrawal from every inch of the Gaza Strip,” Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told reporters Tuesday in Beirut.
The Hamas official reiterated that no hostages will be freed until a permanent cease-fire is enacted.
Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have criticized the demands as outlandish and non-starters. Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to continue the war until Hamas is dismantled and all the hostages are returned.
Three days into intense negotiations in Cairo, Egyptian officials said Hamas and Israel failed to reach a breakthrough, dampening hopes that a temporary truce can be enacted before Ramadan.
With Post wires
