U.S. President Joe Biden said Washington would attempt to reach a cease-fire deal in Gaza with Türkiye, Qatar, Egypt, Israel and others, as he welcomed the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Lebanon on Wednesday.
“Now Hamas has a choice to make. Their only way out is to release the hostages, including American citizens, which they hold, and, in the process, bring an end to the fighting, which would make possible a surge of humanitarian relief,” Biden said.
“Over the coming days, the United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza. With the hostages released and the end of the war without Hamas in power, that becomes possible.”
Israel launched a brutal offensive on Gaza following an attack by Hamas in October 2023 and continues it to this day despite a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
The offensive, now in its second year, has killed over 44,000 people and injured 104,000, also leaving most of Gaza a devastated, uninhabitable wasteland, with food, medicine and water all in short supply.
Months of attempts to negotiate a cease-fire have yielded scant progress, and negotiations are now on hold. Mediator Qatar suspended its efforts until the sides were prepared to make concessions.
Last week, the United States vetoed another U.N. Security Council resolution for a cease-fire in Gaza.
There are disagreements over Israel’s continued military presence inside Gaza, particularly along the border with Egypt, the free movement of Palestinians inside the territory and the identity and number of prisoners to be freed in a swap.
Türkiye has been fiercely critical of Israel’s brutal offensive in Gaza, which it and others say amounts to genocide. It has also slammed many Western allies for their support of Israel and repeatedly called for Muslim unity to facilitate a desperately needed cease-fire.
Ankara urges Israel to reciprocate the constructive approach of the Palestinians in cease-fire negotiations and the international community to pressure Netanyahu’s government.
Türkiye is a staunch supporter of Hamas, which it describes as a resistance movement, unlike the Western countries, which mostly define it as a terrorist group, and hosted Haniyeh several times to discuss cease-fire efforts and the humanitarian aid crisis in the blockaded enclave.
It has formally applied to join South Africa’s initiative to have Israel tried for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).