Israel ‘committed’ to Biden-backed Gaza cease-fire proposal, Netanyahu claims

By Zein Khalil
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Monday that he is committed to a Gaza cease-fire proposal backed by US President Joe Biden.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said that he is only ready for a “partial” deal to retrieve some Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip.
Israel "will not end the war until we bring back all the hostages (…) we will not end the war until we eliminate Hamas and return residents of the south safely to their homes,” Netanyahu said at the Knesset (Israel’s parliament).
He said Israel is “committed to the Israeli (cease-fire) proposal welcomed by President Biden. Our position has not changed."
Last month, Biden said Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange and the reconstruction of Gaza.
At that time, Hamas said it would deal “positively” and “responsibly” with all proposals to reach a cease-fire in Gaza and release all detainees.
Israel estimates that around 120 Israelis are held by Hamas in Gaza.
Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt have so far failed to agree on a permanent cease-fire that allows a prisoner swap between Israelis and Palestinians.
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.
More than 37,600 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and nearly 86,100 others injured, according to local health authorities.
Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar