US President Joe Biden issued a call on Tuesday urging Hamas to accept a Gaza ceasefire deal before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In response, the Palestinian group cautioned that discussions for a truce and hostage release could not continue indefinitely.
As the threat of famine looms in Gaza, joint operations involving US and Jordanian planes, along with Egypt and France, airdropped food aid into the besieged territory, home to 2.4 million people.
The ongoing conflict, sparked by the October 7 attack, resulted in the deaths of 97 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Israel reported striking 50 targets in the past day.
In Cairo, US and Hamas representatives engaged in protracted negotiations with Egyptian and Qatari mediators to halt the fighting and secure the release of hostages before the onset of Ramadan on March 10 or 11.
Egypt’s Al-Qahera News, closely connected to the country’s intelligence services, reported that the talks were ongoing and would extend into a fourth consecutive day on Wednesday.
The discussed plan involves a proposed six-week truce, the exchange of dozens of hostages for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, and increased aid to Gaza.
Hamas official Osama Hamdan, based in Beirut, emphasized that Hamas would not keep the negotiation path open indefinitely.
President Biden, echoing the sentiments of his top diplomat, Antony Blinken, warned Hamas to agree to a Gaza ceasefire before Ramadan, underscoring the potential dangers if the conflict persists during this holy month.
While Biden did not elaborate, the United States had previously urged Israel to allow Muslims access to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem during Ramadan.
The Israeli government subsequently confirmed that it would permit Muslim worshippers to access Al-Aqsa during Ramadan in numbers similar to previous years.
