Biden announced that Israel offered a new proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza

President Joe Biden gave a speech on Friday about the current situation in the Middle East. During his address, he described Israel’s proposal for a ceasefire and a phased hostage release agreement. Interestingly, he then urged Israel to accept it.

Minutes later and according to Arutz Sheva, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement: "The Israeli government is united in the desire to return our hostages as soon as possible and is working to achieve this goal. Therefore, the prime minister authorized the negotiating team to present an outline for achieving this goal, while insisting that the war will not end until all its goals are achieved, including the return of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas's military and government capabilities," said the brief statement that was issued in the middle of the Jewish holy day of Shabbat. The Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu's office did not say whether his proposal is the same as what Biden described during his speech.

During the speech, Biden claimed that the proposal was transmitted by Qatar to Hamas, and includes three phases, the first of which “would last for six weeks... [and] would include: a full and complete ceasefire; a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza; a release of a number of hostages — including women, the elderly, the wounded — in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.”

The second phase would consist of releasing of all remaining living hostages and the withdrawal from Gaza. "As long as Hamas meets its commitments, a temporary ceasefire would become, in the words of the Israeli proposal, the cessation of hostilities permanently," Biden added, later stating that Israel should accept the proposal due to the devastation that Hamas has caused. He went on to say that at this point the terrorist group is no longer capable of carrying out another attack similar to October 7, according to the president. "It’s time for this war to end," Biden stressed. The detailed plan was uploaded to his X account.