Biden sees progress on Gaza agreement

President Joe Biden said Thursday that U.S. mediators were making progress in hammering out a ceasefire agreement for Gaza and called for an end to the war between Israel and Hamas.

Biden acknowledged concerns about Israel’s actions in a high-profile, nearly hour-long press conference designed to refute doubts about his re-election, despite his general support for the US ally.

“In retrospect, I wish I could have persuaded the Israelis to do many things, but the bottom line is that we now have a chance. It is time to end this war,” he said after a NATO summit in Washington.

Biden acknowledged that there remain “difficult, complex issues” between Israel and Hamas.

“There are still gaps to close. We are making progress,” Biden said.

“The trend is positive and I am determined to conclude this agreement and end this war that should end now,” he said.

Biden unveiled a plan over a month ago that would see Israel temporarily halt its offensive in Gaza and Palestinian militants release hostages, setting the stage for talks on a permanent end to the devastating nine-month war.

Hamas came back with counterproposals and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced resistance from some of his far-right allies in the government.

However, diplomats spoke of progress in the latest round of talks, which ended on Thursday in Qatar, the main mediator.

– Israel is being put under “really hard” pressure –

Biden supported Israel after the October 7 Hamas attack, which killed 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on Israeli figures.

Israel responded with a military offensive that killed at least 38,345 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Biden, 81, recalled his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir half a century ago as a young senator – and acknowledged that times have changed.

“We pushed really hard for this, and Israel was not exactly cooperative at times,” Biden said of Netanyahu’s government.

“This war cabinet is one of the most conservative war cabinets in Israel’s history, and there is no definitive answer other than a two-state solution,” he said.

Biden also stuck to his decision to hold off on delivering massive 2,000-pound bombs, even as his administration moves forward with delivering other munitions.

“I am not delivering the 2,000-pound bombs. They cannot be used in Gaza or other populated areas without causing great human tragedy and damage,” Biden said.

He again urged Israel to come up with a plan for the “day after” to end the war and spoke of its diplomacy in persuading Arab states to help with security.

“Ultimately, there must be no Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip,” Biden said.

He also admitted that he was “disappointed” about the construction of a pier to deliver aid to Gaza, which Biden announced in March and the US military had built at a cost of $230 million, as Israel blocked land routes for trucks carrying aid.

The United States plans to permanently stop using the pier soon after problems arose there, including due to the weather.

“I had hoped this would be more successful,” Biden said.

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