Biden says to push for Gaza war end with Egypt, Qatar, Turkey after Israel-Lebanon deal

CAIRO – 27 November 2024: US President Joe Biden said the United States will make another push with various parties, including Egypt, Turkey, Qatar and Israel to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza “over the coming days.”

Biden made the remarks during a press briefing to announce the implementation of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which took effect early Wednesday, after nearly 14 months of fighting.

Biden outlined his intention to cooperate with these partners to bring about an end to the war in Gaza, secure the release of captives held by Hamas, and ensure that Hamas relinquishes power.

Egypt, Qatar, and the US have spearheaded mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas since the war began on October 7, 2023.

In November, a prisoner swap deal facilitated by the three countries led to the release of around 100 Israeli captives in exchange for about 240 Palestinian prisoners.

However, Qatar has suspended its role as mediator after the failure of the past round of negotiations in October

A statement by the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that Doha will resume its mediation role along with its partners “when the parties show their willingness and seriousness to end the brutal war and the ongoing suffering of civilians caused by catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the Strip.”

Israeli attacks in recent months have resulted in the reported deaths of many of the around 100 captives still held in Gaza, while Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu is adhering to the war objective of returning the captives safely.

On 1 September, the Israeli army asserted that they have recovered the bodies of six captives from tunnels under the enclave, including 23-year-old Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American captive.

Since the start of the war, Israeli forces have killed 44,249 Palestinians, injured over 104,700 others, according to the health ministry in Gaza on Tuesday.

The war also devastated critical infrastructure and pushed the enclave toward the brink of famine.

CEASEFIRE EFFECTIVE

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon initiated a US-France-brokered ceasefire on Wednesday, ending nearly 14 months of intense fighting that brought the region closer to an all-out war.

Israeli forces have killed over 3,700 people during the war, according to Lebanese authorities, and forced around 1.2 million Lebanese people to flee their homes, with Israeli airstrikes levelling building in Beirut and the southern suburbs.

No immediate violations of the ceasefire have been reported thus far.

Under the deal reached today, the fighting across the Lebanon-Israel border will end tomorrow.

Lasting security for the people of Israel and Lebanon cannot be achieved only on the battlefield – that's why I directed my team to work with the governments of Israel and Lebanon to… pic.twitter.com/pUMFcryWvS

— President Biden (@POTUS) November 27, 2024

The ceasefire agreement, which took effect at 4 AM on Wednesday, stipulates an initial two-month cessation of hostilities, with key provisions requiring Hezbollah to withdraw its armed presence from southern Lebanon and Israeli troops to retreat to their designated side of the border.

The agreement also mandates the deployment of thousands of additional Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers in the southern region, while an international panel led by the United States will oversee compliance efforts.

Hezbollah is obligated under the deal to relocate its forces north of the Litani River, situated around 30 kilometers north of the border.

AVERTING REGIONAL WAR

The clashes between Hezbollah and Israel started on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians, following an attack by Hamas on southern Israel.

Fighting between the two sides continued since then with Israeli forces escalating bombardment in mid-September and launching a ground offensive in Lebanon later.

During the offensive, Israel managed to assassinate senior Hezbollah leaders, including Hassan Nasrallah, the group's secretary general, and his presumed successor, Hashim Safieddine.

The killing of Iranian and Hezbollah commanders over the past months has triggered retaliatory drone attacks by Iran on Israel in April and October. Israel responded to both attacks with airstrikes.

World leaders have warned of the danger of further Israeli-Iranain escalation driving the Middle East into an all-out war, harming all countries in the region.

Hezbollah attacks have forced around 50,000 Israelis to evacuate from northern regions, according to AP, with their rockets reaching as far south as Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have confirmed the deaths of dozens of soldiers in the ground attack in Lebanon.