Biden discusses with Kamala Harris and the negotiating team the details of the final deal between Hamas and Israel
The White House said on Monday that US President Joe Biden and his Vice President Kamala Harris discussed during a meeting with the US negotiating team “the next steps to secure the release of the hostages” in the Gaza Strip.
The White House added, in a statement that “President Biden and his vice president received a briefing from the negotiating team on the status of the US-Qatari-Egyptian proposal to bridge the differences between Hamas and Israel”.
“Biden and Harris also discussed next steps in ongoing efforts to secure the release of the hostages, including continued consultations with co-mediators Qatar and Egypt,” according to the statement.
Commenting on White House statement, Netanyahu said in a press conference on Monday evening, “I don’t believe that the US president said today what was attributed to him”.
Earlier, the Washington Post reported that the United States plans to present a take-it-or-leave-it ceasefire agreement to both sides in the coming weeks.
The Washington Post quoted a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, that “if both sides (Israel and Hamas) fail to accept the agreement, it could mark the end of the US-led negotiations”.
The ceasefire negotiations in Gaza have reached a critical stage, due to Netanyahu’s insistence on continuing the war on the Strip, and not withdrawing from the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridor in the center and south of the Strip, while Hamas insists on ending the war, returning the displaced, and an Israeli withdrawal from the entire Strip.
This comes in conjunction with massive demonstrations in Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, demanding the conclusion of a prisoner exchange agreement and putting pressure on the government, after the announcement of the killing of 6 Israeli detainees in a tunnel in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, who Hamas said were killed by Israeli army fire.
