Joe Biden said it was up to Hamas to accept a ceasefire in Gaza as talks continue in Cairo.
Washington:
U.S. President Joe Biden warned on Tuesday that the situation would be “very, very dangerous” if there is no ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan, adding that Hamas would accept the deal as talks continue in Cairo.
As U.S. troops airdropped aid to Gaza for a second time, Biden also told ally Israel that there was “no excuse” not to send more aid to the Palestinian enclave where the United Nations has warned of looming famine.
Biden’s comments come as the United States becomes increasingly frustrated with Israel’s aid needs and rising civilian death toll in Gaza, as well as Hamas’s delays in setting conditions such as the release of hostages.
“Now it’s in the hands of Hamas,” Biden, 81, told reporters as he flew back to the White House from the Camp David presidential resort in the mountains of Maryland.
“The Israelis have been cooperating and the offer (of a ceasefire) is reasonable. We will know in a few days. But we need a ceasefire.”
He added: “There has to be a ceasefire because of Ramadan – if we get into a situation where the ceasefire lasts during Ramadan, it could be very, very dangerous for Israel and Jerusalem.”
Ramadan will begin on March 10 or 11, depending on the lunar calendar.
Biden did not elaborate, but the United States last week urged Israel to allow Muslims to worship during Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a hotspot in Jerusalem, after a far-right minister proposed banning Palestinians from the occupied West Bank.
Biden, a Democrat, faces severe political pressure in an election year over his support for Israel amid a soaring civilian death toll in Gaza, which stood at 30,631, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry.
According to official AFP statistics, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,160 people. Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas
– ‘No reason’ –
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Hamas to accept an “immediate ceasefire” with Israel during separate meetings with Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Cairo.
“It is up to Hamas to decide whether it is ready for a ceasefire,” he said during a meeting with Qatar’s prime minister in Washington.
While Washington has publicly held Hamas responsible for agreeing to a ceasefire, it has become increasingly frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to rein in the offensive or provide aid.
“I’m working very hard with them,” Biden, who is seeking re-election, told reporters. “We must send more aid to Gaza. No excuses, none.”
U.S. cargo planes airdropped more than 36,000 meals into Gaza on Tuesday in a joint operation with Jordan, the U.S. military said.
It is the second such operation since Biden ordered it last week, following a horrific incident around a convoy of aid trucks in Gaza City that left more than 100 people dead.
Biden also dismissed suggestions that ties with Netanyahu were strained after Benny Gantz, one of Netanyahu’s rivals in Israel’s war cabinet, visited the White House on Monday for talks with Vice President Kamala Harris. Pay attention.
Gantz, the former military chief of staff, met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon and Blinken at the State Department on Tuesday.
Biden said his relationship with Netanyahu is “as good as ever.”
Democrat Biden and right-wing Netanyahu have often butted heads in the four decades since their political paths crossed, but Biden has been a staunch supporter of Israel during its war with Hamas.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
