Biden says Hamas needs to act on truce deal, blames group for delay

US President Joe Biden on Thursday (June 13) said he is not expecting a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza to work out in the near future.

He said Hamas needs to take into consideration Israel’s US-backed proposal on the table.

The US president who is currently attending a G7 summit, said international leaders gathered in Italy had discussed the ceasefire, but when asked by reporters about the truce deal to be finalised soon, Biden replied, “No",adding, “I haven’t lost hope, but it’s going to be tough.”

“Hamas has … to move,” Biden added.

“I’ve outlined an approach that has been endorsed by the UN Security Council, by the G7, Israel, and the biggest hang-up so far is Hamas refusing to sign on, even though they have submitted something similar,” he said during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The US president further said it remains to be seen whether a deal comes “to execution".

He further said he remains committed to pushing for the two sides to come together on the three-phase deal he publicly outlined late last month.

However, negotiators from the US, Egypt and Qatar have tried for months to mediate a ceasefire in the conflict and free hostages taken from Israel in October, more than 100 of whom are believed to remain captive in Gaza.

Last month, the president publicly outlined a deal he said was proposed by Israel, which would halt fighting and release the 116 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Despite gaining international support, Hamas rejected the offer due to the absence of an Israeli commitment to a permanent ceasefire.

The war began after Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deathof 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

The militants also took 251 hostages. Of these, 116 remain in Gaza, although the army says 41 are dead.

Israel's retaliatory military offensive has left at least 37,232 people dead in Gaza,mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry.

Battles rage in Rafah

Israeli helicopters struck Rafah on Thursday, residents said, with militants reporting street battles in the southern Gazan city.

Tensions were also escalating on Israel's northern border, with more attacks by Hamas ally Hezbollah targeting military positions and a civilian reported killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon.

Western areas of Rafah came under heavy fire on Thursday, residents said.

"There was very extreme fire from warplanes, Apaches (helicopters) and quadcopters, in addition to Israeli artillery and military battleships, all of which were striking the area west of Rafah," one eyewitness told AFP.

Hamas said its fighters were battling Israeli troops on the streets of the city near the besieged Gaza Strip's border with Egypt.

(With inputs from agencies)