US President Joe Biden said he believes a ceasefire deal in the Israel-Hamas war is “still possible” before the end of his term.
Speaking in an interview with “CBS News Sunday Morning”, Biden was asked if a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is attainable, and replied, “Yes, it’s still possible.”
“The plan I put together endorsed by the G7, endorsed by the … UN Security Council, et cetera, is still viable,” Biden added. “And I’m working literally every single day to — and my whole team, to see to it that it doesn’t escalate into a regional war. But it easily can.”
The interview with CBS was recorded late last week, before Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued a joint statement urging Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
“The time has come to conclude the ceasefire and hostages and detainees release deal,” the leaders said in the statement last Thursday. “The three of us and our teams have worked tirelessly over many months to forge a framework agreement that is now on the table with only the details of implementation left to conclude.”
“There is no further time to waste nor excuses from any party for further delay,” they added. “It is time to release the hostages, begin the ceasefire, and implement this agreement.”
While Israel said it would take part in the summit proposed by the US, Egypt and Qatar this coming Thursday, Hamas announced on Sunday that it refuses to send representatives to the negotiations.
"We call on the mediators to present a plan to implement what we agreed to on July 2, instead of holding new negotiations," Hamas said, adding, "Additional rounds of talks or new offers will only provide cover for the occupation's aggression and will give it time to win the war of destruction."
The US has been pushing a three-phase proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release deal which Biden outlined in late May.
Biden has indicated that both Israel and Hamas had agreed to the outline and reiterated his determination to implement the proposal, even though Hamas rejected the Biden outline shortly after he presented it.
Recently, a US official said that the negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal are in their "closing stages".