"Biden Urges 'Three-Day Ceasefire' for Hostage Release... Netanyahu Rejects"

Axios US Report

U.S. President Joe Biden urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to suspend hostilities for three days to secure the release of some hostages held in the Gaza Strip, the stronghold of the Palestinian armed group Hamas, Axios, a U.S. political news outlet, reported on the 7th (local time) citing sources.

According to senior Israeli and U.S. officials, President Biden proposed during a call with Prime Minister Netanyahu the previous day that the Israeli military halt its fighting with Hamas for three days to facilitate the release of hostages. During this period, Hamas would release 10 to 15 hostages it is holding, verify the identities of all hostages, and provide a list of their names.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

In response, Prime Minister Netanyahu told President Biden that he does not trust Hamas's intentions and does not believe they are prepared to reach an agreement regarding the hostages. Axios reported that Netanyahu also perceives that a three-day ceasefire could lead to a loss of international support for Israel’s ongoing large-scale operations against Hamas.

Furthermore, Axios noted that Netanyahu remains cautious about a ceasefire due to Hamas’s actions during the 2014 war, when Hamas killed and abducted Israeli soldiers during a humanitarian ceasefire period.

Israeli authorities estimate that at least 240 people were taken hostage and dragged into the Gaza Strip during Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on the 7th of last month. Hamas has released two elderly Israeli citizens and two American women among the hostages.

On the same day, Hamas issued a statement saying it is prepared to release an additional 12 foreign hostages but cannot do so due to Israeli airstrikes and ground operations.

The United States has been pushing for tactical ceasefires to provide civilians with safe opportunities to leave combat zones, ensure aid reaches civilians in need, and enable potential hostage releases. To this end, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Prime Minister Netanyahu on the 3rd, and William Burns, Director of the CIA, arrived in Israel the day before to discuss hostage-related intelligence, opening passages between Gaza and Egypt, and efforts to prevent the war from spreading with Israeli intelligence agencies.

The armed conflict between Israel and Palestine, which began with Hamas’s preemptive attack, has escalated into a bloody retaliation by the Israeli military, resulting in 9,500 deaths, including innocent Palestinian civilians, raising international concern. Under Israel’s blockade, the humanitarian situation for Gaza Strip residents, who rely on relief supplies, shows little sign of improvement. Meanwhile, evacuations of foreigners and the wounded, which began on the 1st, have also been halted.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.