In the coming days, the US government will present a new ceasefire plan to Israel and Hamas, an agreement that, if not accepted by both sides, could lead to the breakdown of negotiations.
This was stated in recent hours by several media outlets, including the Washington Post. Citing a senior administration official, he said that the United States was discussing with Egypt and Qatar the details of a final agreement that they planned to present to the parties in the coming weeks.
If both sides do not accept it, the source said, it could mark the end of the U.S.-led negotiations.
Asked about this information on Monday at the White House, President Biden simply said: “We are close to an agreement to release the kidnapped people, but I don’t think Netanyahu is doing enough.”
According to the White House agenda, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met this morning with the negotiating team for the U.S. hostage deal “following the killing of U.S. citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages by Hamas on Saturday and will discuss efforts to move toward an agreement that secures the release of the remaining hostages.”
Government sources told Axios that White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke with the families of the American hostages held in Gaza on Sunday and explained that President Biden plans to present Israel and Hamas with a final proposal that would allow for the release of the hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza later this week.
The urgency has increased, media reports say, after Israeli forces found the bodies of six hostages in a tunnel in Gaza on Saturday, including that of young American Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
Biden confirmed this in a statement on Sunday, saying he was “devastated and outraged” by the confirmation of the death of the 23-year-old, whose parents recently spoke at the Democratic National Convention to call for an end to violence between Israel and the Palestinian militia Hamas and for negotiations to be held for the release of hostages deprived of their freedom since the October 7 attack.
The young man, originally from California, was among those kidnapped in the surprise attack that took place during a celebration of a music festival for peace near the border with the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine determined yesterday that the six hostages were “killed” by “multiple shots” fired by Hamas militiamen, contradicting the Islamist group’s claim that they died as a result of bomb attacks.
“According to the forensic examination, it is estimated that the deaths of the hostages occurred approximately 48 to 72 hours before their examination (between Thursday and early Friday morning),” said a statement from the Ministry of Health.
Of the 251 kidnapped on October 7, 97 captives remain in the enclave, with 33 confirmed dead, according to the army.
According to data provided by the Gaza Health Ministry on Monday, the number of people killed in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli offensive is 40,786 and the number of injured is 94,224, figures that correspond mainly to women and children after nearly 11 months of massacre.
