UPDATE - Biden says Israel presented Hamas with 3-phase deal to end war on Gaza

ADDS DETAILS THROUGHOUT

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden said Friday that Israel has presented Hamas with a three-phase deal that would end all hostilities in the besieged Gaza Strip and release hostages that continue to be held in the coastal enclave.

The president appealed to Hamas to accept the deal, and urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stave off pressure from members of his governing coalition who are opposed to the plan.

"Hamas no longer is capable of carrying out another October 7, which is one of Israel's main objective in this war, and quite frankly a righteous one," the president said in brief remarks delivered from the White House, referring to the Hamas-led cross-border attack that precipitated Israel's current war.

"I know there are those in Israel who will not agree with this plan and will call for the war to continue indefinitely. Some are even in the government coalition, and they've made it clear they want to occupy Gaza. They want to keep fighting for years, and the hostages are not a priority to them. Well I've urged the leadership in Israel to stand behind this deal despite whatever pressure comes," he said.

The first phase, which Biden said would last for six weeks, would include what he called "a full and complete cease-fire," and the withdrawal of Israeli forces "from all populated areas of Gaza." An unspecified number of hostages would also be released during this period, including women, the elderly, and the wounded, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, which Biden said would number in the hundreds.

Palestinian civilians would also be allowed to return to their homes in all areas of Gaza, including in the north where Israel has placed long-standing restrictions, and Biden said humanitarian assistance "would surge" to include 600 trucks crossing into Gaza daily.

"With a cease-fire, that aid can be safely and effectively distributed to all who need it. Hundreds of thousands of temporary shelters, including housing units, would be delivered by the international community," he said. "All that and more would begin immediately, immediately. During the six weeks of phase one, Israel and Hamas would negotiate the necessary arrangements to get to phase two, which is a permanent end to hostilities."

The president acknowledged that difficulties that those negotiations present, saying "there are a number of details to negotiate" to advance to the second phase, but said Israel's proposal allows for the cease-fire to remain in place as long as the talks continue. Egypt, Qatar and the US would work to ensure that remains the case "until all the agreements are reached, and phase two is able to begin," he said.

The second phase would include the exchange of all remaining living hostages, including male Israeli military personnel, and the full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

"As long as Hamas lives up to its commitments, a temporary cease-fire would become, in the words of the Israeli proposal, 'the cessation of hostilities permanently,'" he added.

The final phase would see reconstruction begin in Gaza where Israel has razed wide swathes of the coastal territory, and the remains of any dead hostages would be handed over.

More than 36,280 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its war nearly eight months ago, mostly women and children, and over 82,000 others injured, according to local health authorities. The Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack killed less than 1,200 people.

Vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid Israel's crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war.