During a fundraiser in Seattle, Washington, President Joe Biden suggested that a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict could be achieved if the U.S.-designated Islamic terror group released the remaining hostages.
“There would be a ceasefire tomorrow if Hamas would release the hostages, the women and the elderly and the wounded,” Biden said. “As I’ve said, it’s up to Hamas–if they wanted to do it, we could end it tomorrow.”
On October 7, 2023, Hamas carried out a multi-pronged assault on Israel, utilizing land, sea, and air forces. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of over 250 individuals.
Though some hostages have been freed in the aftermath, approximately 130 remain captive.
In response to the aggression, Israel initiated a defensive operation within the Hamas-governed region of Gaza.
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Biden’s remarks followed his statement in a CNN interview that he would refrain from providing artillery and weapons to Israel in the event of an invasion of Rafah, Hamas’s final stronghold.
Just prior to this threat, the United States had stopped a delivery of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel.
“I made it clear that if they go into Rafah, they haven’t gone into Rafah yet, if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, to deal with that problem,” Biden said during the interview.
Following the firing of rockets by Hamas from Rafah towards the Kerem Shalom border crossing, President Biden’s interview with CNN took place.
This crossing serves as an entry point for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and resulted in injuries to four IDF soldiers and ten others.
The day after the attack, the IDF advised residents to evacuate Rafah for their safety. Shortly after, Hamas proposed a ceasefire.
Israeli officials, however, accused Hamas of seeking a ceasefire on terms that were not agreed upon or proposed by Israel.
On the subsequent day, tanks from the IDF entered Rafah and seized control of the border crossing shared with Egypt.
By Saturday, the IDF was escalating operations in Rafah and urging more residents to evacuate as they prepared for a potential ground invasion.
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