At long last, Israel appears ready to accept a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, according to President Joe Biden.
He says Israel has agreed to pause the offensive for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan if a deal is reached to release some of the hostages. We would be remiss if we did not mention that "if" is a big if, and that "some" isn't all.
Hamas And Israel Don't Seem Optimistic
But on Tuesday, the AP reports, Hamas and Israel appeared to downplay Biden's positive outlook on an imminent breakthrough. Israel's military campaign of retribution against Hamas for the Oct. 7 strike on southern Israel has resulted in the deaths of nearly 30,000 Palestinians, most of whom were not members of Hamas.
The fighting has also displaced the majority of the population in Gaza and the West Bank.
With a pending ground assault on Gaza looming, the prospect of millions of trapped civilians has many on edge.
But talks of a ceasefire seem to be gaining momentum, even if only incrementally.
Negotiators from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar have been laboring to hammer out a deal to free some of the hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, a six-week ceasefire and an increase in aid deliveries to Gaza.
The start of Ramadan is seen by some as the unofficial deadline for the deal to be brokered. Ramadan is a time of religious observance and fasting that lasts from dawn to dusk for Muslims around the world.
However, fighting between Israel and Palestinians has flared up in the past during the holy month.
"Ramadan's coming up and there has been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in activities during Ramadan as well, in order to give us time to get all the hostages out," Biden said in an appearance on NBC's "Late Night With Seth Meyers" that was filmed Monday.
However, critics are pointing out that Biden did not call for the end of the war. The current hostilities were set off when an attack by Hamas militants resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israeli civilians and resulted in the kidnapping of 250 others, according to Israeli officials. About 130 are believed to still be in Hamas custody. However, up to a quarter of them are thought to be dead.
Israel Blames Hamas For Delay
Israeli officials expressed surprise at Biden's comments while Hamas downplayed them and reiterated that they would not soften their demands.
Speaking under the condition of anonymity, Israeli officials say the country wants a deal immediately, but Hamas continues to push for excessive demands.
They also said that Israel is insisting that female soldiers be part of the first group of hostages released under any truce deal.
Additionally, Hamas official Ahmad Abdel-Hadi indicated that optimism about a deal was premature.
"The resistance is not interested in giving up any of its demands, and what is proposed does not meet what it had requested," he told the Pan-Arab TV channel Al Mayadeen.
In previous reports, HNGN reported on Hamas's insistence that Israel end their war, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls "delusional."
