US President Joe Biden said that the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is now in the hands of Hamas, after the Israelis agreed to a proposal that he described as reasonable. He expected that an agreement would be reached by the holy month of Ramadan.

For his part, the leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Osama Hamdan, said that the movement presented during the past two days its vision of the proposal presented by the mediators to complete the prisoner exchange deal with Israel, stressing the resistance’s adherence to the ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced, and the start of reconstruction operations. .

Yesterday, Tuesday, Biden warned of a situation he described as very dangerous in Israel and Jerusalem if Israel and Hamas did not reach a ceasefire in Gaza by the holy month of Ramadan, which begins on the 11th or 12th of this March.

The US President told reporters before heading to the White House to return from Camp David that it is up to Hamas to agree to the truce offer for 6 weeks, warning in return that Israel has “no excuses” for continuing to prevent more aid from reaching Gaza.

Biden added, "The Israelis are cooperating, and the (ceasefire) offer is rational. We will know how things will turn out within two days. But we need a ceasefire."

Biden downplayed hints of tension in the relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the backdrop of pressure exerted by Washington on Israel due to the high death toll of civilians in Gaza, the day after a member of the Israeli war cabinet, Benny Gantz, one of Netanyahu’s most prominent opponents, visited the White House. Biden said that the relationship with Netanyahu "is the same as it has always been."

To contain a catastrophic humanitarian crisis and famine, about 6 months after the Israeli aggression on Gaza, Biden stressed the necessity of “bringing more aid into Gaza,” considering that Israel has “no excuses” for continuing to prevent the entry of aid trucks parked at the border with Egypt.

White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby indicated that the failure to bring aid into Gaza is unacceptable and that the flow of aid into Gaza is insufficient to meet the needs of the residents of the Strip.

In a press conference at the White House, Kirby urged Israel to facilitate the passage of more trucks and open roads so that aid can reach Gaza. Kirby stressed that Washington is still working to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, indicating that the Israeli side was cooperative and negotiated in good faith, and that Hamas should Accomplishing the matter, as he put it, Kirby also stressed that the United States will continue to work with Israel to ensure its ability to defend itself and reach an agreement regarding the detainees.

In this context, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that there is an opportunity to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. In a press conference with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Blinken stressed that the situation in Gaza is unacceptable and that the ceasefire is important for the entry of aid and the return of prisoners.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani warned of what he described as tampering with the aid issue and its exploitation for political blackmail by the Israeli occupation.

He said in statements to Al Jazeera after the end of the first day meeting of the US-Qatari strategic dialogue in Washington, that pressure was being exerted on Israel to bring aid into the northern Gaza Strip.

Hamas position

For his part, Hamas leader Osama Hamdan said that what Israel failed to achieve on the battlefield, it will not achieve at the negotiating table. Hamdan added during a press conference in Beirut yesterday evening, Tuesday, that any prisoner exchange cannot take place until after a ceasefire and all Hamas conditions are met.

Hamdan confirmed that during the past two days, the Hamas movement presented its vision regarding the proposals presented by the mediators in Egypt and Qatar, and stressed its conditions for a ceasefire.