WHITE HOUSE —
US President Joe Biden is pushing for a three-phase cease-fire deal agreed upon by Israel that begins with a six-week temporary pause in fighting and leads to a more permanent cessation of hostilities with Hamas, even as Israeli forces pushed deeper into the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
The first phase would include a “full and complete cease-fire,” Biden said in remarks at the White House on Friday. That would mean the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza and the release of some hostages, including women, the elderly, the wounded and American citizens, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
In addition, Israel would allow more humanitarian assistance into Gaza and the return of Palestinian citizens to their homes and neighborhoods in all areas of Gaza, including in the north.
After the initial six-week pause, the path forward would be more complicated, Biden warned.
“I’ll be honest with you, there are a number of things to be negotiated to move from phase one to phase two,” he said.