4 hours ago

Bernd Debusmann Jr, BBC News, Washington

A senior White House official said that the US “has every expectation” Israel accepts a ceasefire offer, which would start with a six week cessation in hostilities on Gaza if Hamas accepts the deal.

The three-part strategy announced by Joe Biden, President of the United States last week, would see an “increase” in humanitarian aid as well as a swap of Palestinian prisoners for some hostages before a permanent ending of the war.

Some members of Israel’s Government have voiced their opposition to the proposal.

Negotiations are taking place as Israel continues to airstrike Rafah.

UNRWA (the UN agency for Palestinian Refugees) reports that all 36 shelters located in Rafah are now empty, after residents fled.

According to estimates, another 1.7 million people have been displaced from Khan Younis as well as parts of central Gaza.

John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, told ABC News Sunday morning that the US “expected” Israel to “say yes” to a proposed ceasefire agreement if Hamas accepted.

He said that the US hoped that both sides would agree to begin the first phase of this plan “as quickly as possible”.

Mr Kirby stated that during the initial six-week break in fighting, “the two sides would sit down to try and negotiate what phase 2 could look like and when it could begin.”

US Secretary of state Antony Blinken called Israeli defence minister Yoav Galant and war cabinet Benny Gantz separately late on Sunday to urge them to support the deal.

Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the State Department, said that Mr Blinken had “commended Israel” and urged Hamas to accept the agreement “without delay”.

The top American diplomat also said that “the proposal will advance Israel’s security interests in the long term”.

Two far-right Israeli Ministers, however, threatened on Saturday to quit the government and the coalition, if Benjamin Netanyahu accepted the deal.

Bezalel Ben-Gvir, Minister of National Security and Finance, and Itamar Ben-Gvir Minister of Finance both said that they opposed any agreement before Hamas is destroyed.

Netanyahu also insisted there would be no ceasefire unless Hamas’s military, governing and political capabilities were destroyed and until all hostages were released.

Hanoch Milwidsky is a senior Likud Party member in the Knesset. He told the BBC that the entire Israeli governing coalition opposes the deal.

Mr Milwidsky stated that “the math of the Israeli Government has not changed” – this means Hamas cannot rule Gaza and can have no capability, military or civilian, to be in control. All hostages must return. “The war won’t stop until these demands have been met.”

Mr Kirby said, on his own, that US intelligence believes that Hamas is now militarily degraded, to the extent that its fighters cannot repeat an attack like that which they conducted on 7th October.

“We have not said they do not still pose a threat to the Israelis. He said, “Of course they do.” “But they didn’t have the capabilities to do that.”

On Sunday, the Maldives government announced that it would ban Israelis from entering the Indian Ocean archipelago of islands. This prompted Israel’s Foreign Ministry to warn its citizens to avoid the country.

Around 11,000 Israelis visited Maldives in the past year, less than 1% all tourists.

According to Hamas’ health ministry, more than 36 000 people have died in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict.

Hamas launched an unprecedented attack against Israel in October, killing 1,200 and capturing 252 hostages.

Biden, the US president, has been under increasing pressure in the US to increase the amount of support he gives to Israel and to encourage both sides to engage in negotiations.