Deal calls for six-week ceasefire
The leaders of 17 countries, including Portugal, have called on Hamas to accept the ceasefire agreement announced by US President Joe Biden and release the hostages held in Gaza.
“There is no time to lose. We call on Hamas to close this agreement, that Israel is ready to move forward with, and begin the process of releasing our citizens,” they said in a joint statement released in London and Washington.
The joint statement was signed by Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Thailand, Spain and the United States of America.
In the text, they said they were “deeply concerned about the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza,” including citizens of the 17 countries, and expressed support for the agreement released by Biden on May 31.
“We note that this agreement would lead to an immediate ceasefire and the rehabilitation of Gaza, together with security guarantees for Israelis and Palestinians and opportunities for a more durable long-term peace and a two-state solution,” they said.
They called on “the leaders of Israel and Hamas to make the final compromises necessary to close this agreement.”
Closing the deal will allow “us to give relief to the families of our hostages, as well as to the people on both sides of this terrible conflict, including the civilian populations”, the leaders said.
“It is time for the war to end and this agreement is the necessary starting point,” they added.
The war was triggered by an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian extremist group on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023, which caused the deaths of around 1,200 people, according to Israel.
Of the 252 people of various nationalities kidnapped during the attack, 121 are still being held in Gaza, 37 of them dead, according to the Israeli authorities.
In response to the attack, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas and launched an offensive against the Gaza Strip that has claimed more than 36,600 lives, according to the government of the enclave, controlled by the extremist group since 2007.
This week, Joe Biden announced a roadmap for achieving a permanent ceasefire in phases and subject to conditions.
The first phase involves a six-week ceasefire, accompanied by an Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas of Gaza, the release of certain hostages, women and the sick, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
The outline of the second phase of the plan will be negotiated during the ceasefire, according to the President of the United States.
In the event of conclusive negotiations, the fighting will cease definitively, all hostages, including soldiers, will return home and the Israeli army will withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip.
Source: LUSA
