The US hopes Israel agrees to a ceasefire plan if Hamas accepts it
- 2 days ago
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing increasing pressure to accept a deal to end the war in Gaza. But his right-wing allies threatened to topple the government if he accepted the deal.
If Hamas agrees to Israel's proposed ceasefire in Gaza, America hopes Israel will accept the plan, said White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Sunday, June 2, 2024.
"This is an Israeli proposal. We hope that if Hamas agrees to the proposal—like the Israeli proposal—that was presented to them, then Israel will say yes," Kirby said in an interview on ABC News' "This Week" program.
The blueprint for the proposal, said Kirby, was sent to Hamas on Thursday evening, Washington time. He emphasized that Hamas welcomed the proposal.
“So, we hope they agree to start the first phase as soon as possible. "And this first stage will allow some of the hostages, the elderly, the sick, and female hostages, to be released within six weeks," he said.
Kirby added that at that stage, "there is no fighting, there will be more humanitarian aid coming in, and while all that is happening, the two sides will sit down and negotiate phase two, and when that phase can start."
Peace brokers from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have called on both sides to agree to a ceasefire and hostage release that US President Joe Biden insisted on on Friday, May 31, 2024.
Netanyahu faces a divided right-wing coalition government and intense domestic pressure from opponents within his country over Israel's plans for Gaza and Hamas.
On Saturday, two right-wing members of his cabinet, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, threatened to topple Netanyahu's government if he agreed to Biden's proposal.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid urged Netanyahu to take the deal and offered to support the prime minister if Ben Gvir and Smotrich step down.
"I reminded Netanyahu that he has our safety net for the hostage deal," Lapid said on the X platform.
The families of the hostages urged Israel and Hamas to agree to the deal. Tens of thousands of protesters rallied again on Saturday in Tel Aviv to demand the return of the hostages.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Sunday that he had told Netanyahu, "I will give him and the government my full support to reach a deal that will free the hostages."
"It is our inherent obligation to bring them home within the framework of an agreement that safeguards the security interests of the State of Israel," Herzog said in a speech at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian militant group Hamas said it had a "positive view" of what Biden on Friday described as Israel's plan.
However, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said on Saturday in a Qatari television interview that "no agreement can be reached before demands for the withdrawal of the occupying army and a ceasefire are met," calling for an end to the war and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
If Hamas agrees to Israel's proposed ceasefire in Gaza, America hopes Israel will accept the plan, said White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Sunday, June 2, 2024.
"This is an Israeli proposal. We hope that if Hamas agrees to the proposal—like the Israeli proposal—that was presented to them, then Israel will say yes," Kirby said in an interview on ABC News' "This Week" program.
The blueprint for the proposal, said Kirby, was sent to Hamas on Thursday evening, Washington time. He emphasized that Hamas welcomed the proposal.
“So, we hope they agree to start the first phase as soon as possible. "And this first stage will allow some of the hostages, the elderly, the sick, and female hostages, to be released within six weeks," he said.
Kirby added that at that stage, "there is no fighting, there will be more humanitarian aid coming in, and while all that is happening, the two sides will sit down and negotiate phase two, and when that phase can start."
Peace brokers from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have called on both sides to agree to a ceasefire and hostage release that US President Joe Biden insisted on on Friday, May 31, 2024.
Netanyahu faces a divided right-wing coalition government and intense domestic pressure from opponents within his country over Israel's plans for Gaza and Hamas.
On Saturday, two right-wing members of his cabinet, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, threatened to topple Netanyahu's government if he agreed to Biden's proposal.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid urged Netanyahu to take the deal and offered to support the prime minister if Ben Gvir and Smotrich step down.
"I reminded Netanyahu that he has our safety net for the hostage deal," Lapid said on the X platform.
The families of the hostages urged Israel and Hamas to agree to the deal. Tens of thousands of protesters rallied again on Saturday in Tel Aviv to demand the return of the hostages.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Sunday that he had told Netanyahu, "I will give him and the government my full support to reach a deal that will free the hostages."
"It is our inherent obligation to bring them home within the framework of an agreement that safeguards the security interests of the State of Israel," Herzog said in a speech at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian militant group Hamas said it had a "positive view" of what Biden on Friday described as Israel's plan.
However, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said on Saturday in a Qatari television interview that "no agreement can be reached before demands for the withdrawal of the occupying army and a ceasefire are met," calling for an end to the war and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.