By: Lauryn Carr
President Joe Biden pushes for ceasefire in Gaza by Ramadan
Biden has said there will be a ceasefire “soon”, but when is this course of action truthfully taking place? According to Aljazeera, negotiations that took place by leaders of Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. discussed the need for a “six-week-long pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas to allow aid into Gaza.” This would also allow any captives held by Israel to be free. Free of famine, free of forceful movement, and free to live. President Biden stated that “Ramadan’s coming up, and there’s been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in activities during Ramadan as well, in order to give us time to get all the hostages out.”
Photo by: Samuel Corum | Bloomberg | Getty Images
According to Axios, President Biden’s call with the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi covered how the U.S. is pressing Israel to agree to the deal of ceasefire, and he urged them to push Hamas to do the same. Each leader described their connection with Hamas and later exemplified how they urge to help the citizens and “get this done.”
Stated by Axios, The U.S. began air drops of aid, (which can include humanitarian aid or equipment), to Gaza on March 2nd, which will continue, but does not make a huge impact considering the struggles the individuals ongoingly face.According to BBC News, the proposed deal includes a 40-day pause in all military operations from the start of Ramadan, and a consistent delivery of aid into Gaza. It also includes the exchange of prisoners held hostage. Aid can assist the struggling families in Gaza, but the real issue the U.S. should be standing on is the delivery of money and weapons to Israel, as "Palestinians in Gaza have been pushed to the absolute brink,” Oxfam said, adding that the US should instead work to "cut the flow of weapons to Israel".
Photo by: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images
https://www.axios.com/2024/03/03/biden-hostage-ceasefire-deal-gaza-israel-hamas
Other countries surrounding Gaza have taken in many Palestinians who were either forcefully displaced or able to escape. A main location being Jordan, as they currently have the same population of Palestinians as in Gaza. According to The Washington Post, planes from France, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates this week joined the operation along the coast; Jordanian planes have also carried aid provided by the U.S. and Britain.
According to Aljazeera, Israel’s troops in Gaza have killed 29,782 Palestinians since October 7. Stated in Reuters, Haniyeh, a Palestinian politician said, "it is the duty of the Arab and Islamic nations to take the initiative to break the starvation conspiracy in Gaza.” especially with Ramadan approaching. Ramadan is a 30 day holiday celebrated in Islam where each day Muslims must fast, including not drinking water, from sunrise to sunset, having a pre-fast meal, suhoor, and later breaking their fast with a meal at sunset, known as iftar, as it is a holiday heightened for self-improvement, discipline, and worship.
With Palestinians in Gaza already at a lack of aid or resources needed to remain healthy in unstable conditions, this holiday only furthers the argument for a ceasefire plan from the United States.
SOURCES:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/27/biden-hopes-for-a-ceasefire-between-israel-and-hamas-in-gaza-by-monday
https://www.axios.com/2024/03/03/biden-hostage-ceasefire-deal-gaza-israel-hamas
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68453627
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-raises-stakes-gaza-truce-talks-with-ramadan-call-2024-02-28/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/29/gaza-aid-airdrop-jordan-israel/
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