WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt Wednesday, the White House announced, his first publicly announced talks with these leaders since a ceasefire agreement was announced between Hamas and Israel.
According to AFP, US President Joe Biden and his government negotiated via Qatar and Egypt to arrange the agreement, in which Hamas will release 50 captives and Israel will free scores of Palestinian detainees, while offering a four-day cease-fire in Gaza. The White House stated that Biden also spoke with Israel over the matter.
The White House stated all three talks concerned “the agreement to secure the release of captives held by Hamas during its surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7 and the latest developments in the middle east,”.
Biden Speaks with Qatar, Egypt Leaders About Captives
President Biden and Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani “dedicated to remain in close in touch to ensure the agreement is completely executed,” the White House stated.
“They reiterated the significance of protecting civilian population, respecting global humanitarian law and also increasing and sustaining humanitarian help to the people of Palestine in the Gaza Strip,” it added.
President Biden spoke in separate phone calls with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Biden emphasized the significance of maintaining calm along the border with Lebanon and in the West Bank.”
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President told President Sisi that “under no conditions will Washington permits the forced displacement of Palestinian people from the Gaza Strip or the West Bank.” “The President also affirmed his resolve to the setup a Palestinian state and recognized Egypt’s key role in setting the circumstances for that outcome.”
More than 14,100 people mostly children and women were killed in Israe’s brutal bombing in the Gaza Strip.
