President Joe Biden said Hamas is “no longer is capable of carrying out another October 7th” during remarks at the White House in which he announced that Israel has put forward a “comprehensive.” new ceasefire proposal.
The offer includes three phases. The first phase “would last for six weeks” and include “a full and complete ceasefire, a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza, release of a number of hostages — including women, the elderly, the wounded — and exchange release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners,” among other requirements including all Gazans being allowed to return to their homes and increased humanitarian aid. The second phase would be “the cessation of hostilities permanently” as long as “Hamas lives up to its commitments.” In the third phase, a “major reconstruction plan for Gaza would commence.”
“That’s the offer that’s now on the table, and what we’ve been asking for,” the president said after he detailed the proposal. “It's what we need.”
“The people of Israel should know they can make this offer without any further risk to their own security because they’ve devastated Hamas forces over the past eight months. At this point, Hamas no longer is capable of carrying out another October 7th,” Biden continued. “It’s one of Israel’s main objectives in this war, and quite frankly, a righteous one.”
