President Biden on Tuesday said the U.S. will make a new push for a ceasefire in Gaza in the coming days, after Israel and Hezbollah agreed to pause their fighting in and around the border with Lebanon.
Biden said the agreement to end the fighting across the Israeli-Lebanon border is set to start at 4 a.m. on Wednesday local time. In announcing that both sides had agreed to a ceasefire, Biden from the White House said the U.S. will continue to push for a similar deal to end fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
“Over the coming days, the United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza so the hostages be released and the end of the war without Hamas in power, that becomes possible,” Biden said in remarks at the White House.
He added that he is “praying” for a deal between Israel and Hamas. Biden has two months left in the White House before President-elect Trump’s upcoming inauguration.
“Just as the Lebanese people deserve a future of security and prosperity, so do the people of Gaza. They too deserve an end to the fighting and displacement. The people of Gaza have been through hell, their world’s absolutely shattered,” Biden said. “Far too many civilians in Gaza have suffered far too much and Hamas has refused, for months and months, to negotiate a good-faith ceasefire and a hostage deal.”
The president said that the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, who have been fighting for nearly two months, “reminds us the peace is possible” and that it “brings us closer” to what he has been pushing for in the Middle East, which is peace across borders and a two state solution between Israel and Palestine.
Israel has conducted several strikes inside Lebanon including in and around its densely-populated capital Beirut. It took out several Hezbollah leaders in the process.
The terms of the deal include a 60-day truce where Israel will gradually withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah will withdraw its troops north of the Litani River in Lebanon.
During that time, the Lebanese army and State security forces will deploy to the areas of the border zone and a new enforcement mechanism, overseen by the United States, France and others, are aimed at ensuring that Hezbollah cannot rebuild its infrastructure.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about the expected agreement and said Israel had pushed the Iranian-backed, U.S.-designated terrorist group Hezbollah “back decades.”
He said calm on the northern border is needed to focus attention on Iran, provide rest for troops and replenish stocks, and isolate Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Laura Kelly contributed.
