washington – National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that “the time is now” for a ceasefire in the war in Gaza, urging Hamas to accept a deal with Israel.
“There could be a ceasefire tomorrow, even today, if Hamas said yes to the deal,” Sullivan said on “Face the Nation” Sunday.
Negotiators from the US, Qatar and Egypt have been working to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would begin to end the war. Meanwhile, four Israelis hostages prisoners taken by Hamas were rescued by Israeli security forces during a raid in central Gaza on Saturday, which came with US support, mainly in the form of intelligence. And negotiations are ongoing to free the remaining hostages, which include five American citizens.
Sullvan said the “most effective, safe and correct way” to return all the hostages is with a “comprehensive ceasefire and hostage agreement” that President Biden has highlighted in recent days and Israel has accepted.
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“If Hamas said yes to this deal, there would be a ceasefire, the hostages would come home, humanitarian aid would increase and a better day would begin to unfold for the Palestinian people,” Sullivan said. . “So what we'd like to see is for this deal to go through, because it's the safest way to bring the hostages home.”
But there have been accusations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is resistant to a deal, something Mr. Biden acknowledged in a recent interview with Time. When asked if Netanyahu is prolonging the conflict for political purposes, the president replied that “there are many reasons for people to draw that conclusion.”
The latest offer would involve the release of vulnerable Palestinian hostages and prisoners held in Israeli detention centers, along with a six-week ceasefire and an increase in humanitarian aid.
Mr. Biden presented the proposal late last month, which he said is “a road map for a lasting ceasefire and the release of all hostages.” More broadly, the proposal would have three phases, with subsequent phases including the negotiation of a permanent end to hostilities and the start of a major reconstruction plan for Gaza.
Asked whether the attack that returned the four Israeli hostages could jeopardize the chances of a diplomatic deal, Sullivan said he could not predict Hamas's calculus, but urged that “the whole world is watching that Hamas says yes, because people, for all these months who have been asking for a ceasefire, now is the time.” In the operation that led to the return of the four hostages, the media office of the Hamas government in Gaza said 246 Palestinians were killed and more than 400 wounded.
“There's only one answer to all of this, and it's the answer I keep coming back to, which is a ceasefire and a hostage deal that would end the suffering, end the conflict, end the war, and bring all the hostages. at home,” Sullivan said. “So it's time for Hamas to come to the table, say yes, and let's end all the suffering that's going on in Gaza right now.”
Events unfold just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to lead a joint meeting of Congress on July 24. Sullivan said he is hopeful that when that happens, there will be a ceasefire and hostage agreement.
