US President Joseph Biden explained today that "Israel will always have the right to defend itself against threats to its security and to bring those responsible for October 7 to justice," Israeli media reported.
Today, in an address from the White House, Biden presented a three-phase agreement that Israel proposed to Hamas extremists, which he says will lead to the release of the remaining hostages from Gaza and could end the almost eight-month war, the Associated Press reported.
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The US leader said Hamas was "no longer capable" of carrying out another large-scale attack on Israel and appealed to the Israelis and Hamas to reach an agreement to release the hostages for an extended ceasefire.
"The US will always ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself," he said.
"If Hamas fails to fulfill its obligations under the agreement, Israel can resume military operations. But Egypt and Qatar have assured me that they continue to work to ensure that Hamas does not," Biden added.
He presented the agreement proposal at a time when the Israeli army confirmed that its forces are operating in the central parts of Rafah and that it is expanding its offensive in the southern Gaza city.
The US president called it a "truly defining moment", adding that Hamas has said it wants a ceasefire and that Israel's phased deal is an opportunity to prove whether it means it.
Israel launched the war in Gaza after the Hamas attack on October 7, when Palestinian extremists broke through the border and entered southern Israeli territory, killing about 1.200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting and taking more than 250 hostages.
In the Israeli offensive on Gaza, more than 36.000 Palestinians were killed, mostly women and children.
Israel says about 100 hostages are still being held in Gaza, and the bodies of another 30 are believed to be there.
Ceasefire talks have been stalled since early May after efforts by the US and other mediators to secure an agreement in hopes of averting a planned Israeli invasion of Rafah.
The main obstacle was Hamas' demand that the war end and the Israeli army withdraw completely in exchange for the release of all hostages, which Israel refused.
At the end of his speech at the White House, Biden said that "it's time for the war to end, for the day after to begin."
"It's time for a new phase to begin, for the hostages to come home, for Israel to be safe, for the suffering to end," said the US president, appealing to leaders to accept the agreement, to make it real, permanent and provide a better future than the tragic terrorist one. attacks and war.
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