Biden says Gaza cease-fire proposal nearing 'fruition'

WASHINGTON

Outgoing US President Joe Biden on Monday said that a cease-fire proposal for Gaza he outlined in May is nearing "fruition".

“We're on the brink of the proposal, laid out in detail months ago, finally coming to fruition,” Biden said during a foreign policy speech at the State Department. "I have learned many years in public service to never, never, never, ever give up".

Noting his recent phone calls with Egyptian and Qatari leaders, Biden said the proposed deal would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel and allow a surge in the entry of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

"So many innocent people have been killed, so many communities have been destroyed. Palestinian people deserve peace and the right to determine their own futures. Israel deserves peace and real security, and the hostages of their families deserve to be reunited," he added.

Earlier Monday, Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sulivan said there is a possibility that a cease-fire for the embattled Gaza Strip could be reached this week before Biden leaves office.

The prisoner swap and cease-fire talks, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US, have been interrupted several times due to new conditions imposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli opposition and families of captives accuse Netanyahu of obstructing efforts to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.

Meanwhile, citing two Israeli officials, CNN reported that Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages during the first phase of an emerging cease-fire agreement being finalized by negotiators in Doha.

According to the report, most of the 33 hostages are alive, a senior Israeli official told reporters on Monday, but the bodies of deceased ones will also likely be among those released during the initial 42-day cease-fire.

The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 46,500 victims, most of them women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.