The United States is continuing to work on a deal that would see a temporary pause in the fighting in Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas. President Joe Biden spoke of the plan during a joint news conference with King Abdullah of Jordan at the White House on Monday, Feb. 12.
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“…the United States is working on a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas which would bring immediate and sustained period of calm to Gaza for at least six weeks, which we could then take the time to build something more enduring. Over the past month, I’ve had calls with Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, to push this forward,” Biden said.
“The key elements of the deal are on the table. There are gaps that remain, but I’m encouraging Israeli leaders to keep working to achieve the deal. The United States will do everything possible to make it happen.”
CIA Director William Burns is expected in Egypt on Tuesday, Feb. 13, to discuss the hostage deal further. Both the president and King Abdullah called on Israel to refrain from a planned ground operation in the Gaza town of Rafah, where more than one million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.
The Jordan leader said an Israeli invasion in Rafah “is certain to create another humanitarian catastrophe.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a ground operation in Rafah will move forward once a plan is in place to move people from the city.
