President Joe Biden issued a renewed call for a cease-fire in the Israel–Hamas war on Aug. 8, along with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
“It is time to bring immediate relief both to the long-suffering people of Gaza as well as the long-suffering hostages and their families,” the three heads of state said in a joint statement after 10 months of fighting in the Gaza Strip.
“The time has come to conclude the cease-fire and hostages and detainees release deal.”
Biden and his Egyptian and Qatari counterparts reiterated that the cease-fire deal currently in the works follows a three-phase proposal that Biden announced on May 31. The negotiations over this proposal appeared to falter in June as Hamas requested changes to the outline, but the Biden administration signaled renewed progress in July.
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Middle East at the White House on May 31, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The negotiations again face renewed uncertainty after Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a blast while visiting Iran on July 31. While no party has claimed responsibility for killing Haniyeh, Iranian and Hamas officials pointed the blame at Israel and the United States. Iranian leaders threatened retaliation for Haniyeh’s death and Israel and the United States have readied their defenses in the region in anticipation.
Thus far, no major Iranian attack has materialized, but lower-level skirmishes with Iran’s regional partners have escalated.
The U.S. Department of Defense has assessed that an Iran-backed Iraqi Shia militia group was responsible for launching a pair of rockets at the Asad Airbase in Iraq’s western Anbar province on Aug. 5, injuring four U.S. troops and a U.S. contractor.
Haniyeh’s killing also came just hours after Israeli forces claimed responsibility for an airstrike that killed Fuad Shukr, a top military commander with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah, this week, claimed responsibility for dozens of rocket and drone attacks across northern Israel.
Despite the risks of escalation, Biden and his Egyptian and Qatari counterparts said they are prepared to quickly bridge the gaps in the ongoing negotiations.
“As mediators, if necessary, we are prepared to present a final bridging proposal that resolves the remaining implementation issues in a manner that meets the expectations of all parties,” the three heads of state said.
Biden, El-Sisi, and Al-Thani concluded their joint statements by calling for both sides to resume discussions on this potential deal in Egypt or Qatar on Aug. 15. They said there is no reason or excuse by either party for further delay.
Hamas named Yahya Sinwar to replace Haniyeh on Aug. 6. Sinwar has been leading Hamas in the Gaza Strip since 2017 and is seen by Israel as a mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, in which around 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 people were taken hostage.
Following Sinwar’s appointment, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the new Hamas political leader “has been and remains the primary decider when it comes to concluding a cease-fire.”
Yahya Sinwar attends a rally in Gaza City on Oct. 1, 2022. (Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images)
Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the chief of the general staff of the Israel Defense Forces, said Sinwar’s new leadership position within Hamas wouldn’t deter Israeli forces from searching for and seeking to kill him.
“The change in his name does not prevent us from stopping looking for him, it spurs us to make an effort to find him and attack him, so that he will be replaced once more,” Halevi said in an Aug. 7 statement.
The U.S. State Department has affirmed Israel’s desire to find and eliminate Sinwar, even as it has called for him to seal the peace deal.
“Yes, Sinwar absolutely ought to be brought to justice. We believe that, for his significant acts of terrorism,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Aug 7.
“And we also think he ought to accept the ceasefire deal that is manifestly in the interests of the Palestinian people as well as, of course, in the interests of Israel and the broader region.”
Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs.
