National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby speaks during the Daily Press Briefing at the White House on July 25, in Washington, D.C. On Wednesday, he told reporters that a cease-fire in the Hamas-Israel war was closer than it has ever been. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI |
License Photo
Aug. 7 (UPI) -- As tensions rise in the Middle East amid anticipation of an Iran attack on Israel, the Biden administration is stating they are as close as they've ever been to securing a cease-fire in the more than 300-day war between Tehran-backed Hamas and Israel.
The Biden administration has been working to achieve a three-phase cease-fire deal that President Joe Biden first detailed in late May, but the recent assassination of Iran proxy leaders in Lebanon and then in Tehran attracted vows of retaliation from the Islamic nation and raised fears of an escalating conflict, which could jeopardize those efforts.
White House officials have been voicing confidence in ongoing negotiations with Hamas and Israel that are being brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
"We are as close as we think we have ever been" National Security Communications advisor John Kirby said to reporters in Washington on Wednesday.
The war in the Gaza Strip began Oct. 7 with Hamas' bloody surprised attack on Israel that killed 1,200 Israelis and saw another 251 kidnapped, with 115 still being held captive in Gaza.
In response, Israel has razed much of the Palestinian enclave as it attempts to ferret out the Hamas leaders and find the Israeli captives. The Palestinian Ministry of Health, which does not differentiate between civilian and Hamas fighter, states nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed and another nearly 92,000 have been wounded in the war.
The first phase of the deal includes an initial six-week cease-fire to permit the release of some of the hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
During the six-week pause, negotiations would commence on securing a permanent end to hostilities, which would be enforced during the second phase of the plan that would also see the release of more hostages. The third phase includes the release of all dead hostages held and a major reconstruction plan for Gaza would commence.
Kirby told reporters Wednesday that neither Israel nor Hamas have signed off on the deal but that "we believe that gaps are narrow enough that they can be closed."
"There's some implementation details that need to be hashed out. We want both sides to hash them out and get this deal in place," he said. "We have a sense of urgency about this, and we believe all parties ought to have the same sense of urgency."
A day earlier, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that negotiations have reached "a final stage."
"Concluding that agreement and avoiding any action that could somehow disrupt it is the only path to ending the conflict in Gaza and bringing calm to the region," he said.
Potential disruptions include a potential retaliatory attack on Israel for the assassinations of commander Fuad Shukr of Hezbollah on July 30 in Lebanon and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran the following day.
The United States and other democratic nations have been plying diplomatic pressure to prevent such an attack, while moving military infrastructure into position in case those efforts fail.
Blinken on Tuesday warned that further attacks would perpetuate conflict and instability while raising the risk of "dangerous outcomes that no one can predict and on one can fully control."
"It's urgent that everyone in the region take stock of the situation, understand the risk of miscalculation, and make decisions that will calm tensions, not exacerbate them," he said.
Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York City issued a statement Wednesday night in response to the question would Iran continue with a retaliatory strike if Hamas secured a cease-fire, stating yes, it would.
"We have pursued two priorities simultaneously: first, establishing a durable ceasefire in Gaza and the withdrawal of the occupiers from this territory; second, punishing the aggressor for assassinating Haniyeh, preventing the recurrence of the Israeli regime's terrorist aggression, and making the Zionists regret embarking on such a trajectory," it said, according to the state-controlled Islamic Republic News Agency.
