Biden Reveals Israel’s Ramadan Ceasefire Agreement: Key Terms and Hopes for Peace
Watan-President Joe Biden revealed that Israel has agreed to halt military activities during Ramadan in the Gaza Strip, coinciding with leaks about the terms of a deal reportedly agreed upon by the Israeli authorities.
Biden said in an interview with NBC that Israel risks losing support from around the world if the number of Palestinian casualties continues to rise.
He added that Israel has pledged to evacuate a large percentage of residents from Rafah before commencing a military operation in the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
He also emphasized that a temporary ceasefire could help move towards a two-state solution and normalization with Saudi Arabia.
American hopes for a ceasefire
Biden had expressed hope in previous statements on Monday for a ceasefire to be announced by next Monday.
He said in a press statement that he hopes the ceasefire will begin within days, adding when asked when he expects the ceasefire to begin: “Well, I hope it will be by the beginning of the weekend, (or) by the end of the weekend.”
Leaked terms of the deal
Informed sources had informed Al Jazeera that Israel had agreed to release 400 Palestinian prisoners, including some with high sentences, in exchange for the release of 40 Israeli prisoners, including women and the elderly.
The sources stated that Israel agreed to release prisoners who were re-arrested after being released in the Gilad Shalit deal in 2011.
They mentioned that Israel stipulated a gradual return of displaced persons to the northern Gaza Strip, except for those of military service age.
The sources added that Israel accepted a request from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) to increase the entry of aid and temporary homes to the sector, as well as to bring in machinery and heavy equipment, in addition to redeploying its military forces outside congested areas, and stopping aerial reconnaissance for 8 hours a day.
Reuters quoted sources as saying that the exchange deal also includes provisions related to the repair of hospitals and bakeries in Gaza and the entry of 500 aid trucks into the sector daily.
