Israel Security Cabinet Approves Gaza Ceasefire Agreement: Live Updates
President Biden said Thursday that days after the start of the war in Gaza, he pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop civilian deaths and address Palestinian concerns, while maintaining the United States’ strong support for Israel.
In his last televised interview while in office, Mr. Biden spoke with MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell, during which he discussed his political career and his presidency. The interview, which aired Thursday evening, was taped earlier in the day.
The 15-month war, which began on October 7, 2023 after Hamas led a deadly attack on Israel, has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead. Most of Gaza’s roughly two million residents have been displaced at least once, and much of the enclave has been destroyed.
Mr. Biden and other leaders made the temporary announcement armistice agreement raised hopes that Israel’s military offensive on Gaza would end on Wednesday. Under the ceasefire agreement, some hostages held by Hamas in Gaza will be released.
The president and his advisers have been negotiating for months to end the conflict. Mr. Biden put the ceasefire agreement on the table in MayHe said on MSNBC that he repeatedly told Mr. Netanyahu that the Palestinians “must find a way to address their legitimate concerns.” Although he called Mr. Netanyahu a friend, he said, “We don’t agree a lot lately.”
Critics, including some hostage families pushing for a ceasefire, accuse Mr Netanyahu of deliberately stalling talks to prolong the conflict. Mr. Biden did not directly answer when asked if he thought Mr. Netanyahu did that. He said the Israeli prime minister was under political pressure from Israel’s right wing and was sometimes forced to “do some things that I think are counterproductive.”
President-elect Donald J. Trump and Mr. Biden’s advisers to broker a cease-fire deal work together. Mr. Biden said in an interview Thursday that he had not had any discussions with Mr. Trump about negotiations in the past two weeks.
Mr. Biden recalled that he first called on Mr. Netanyahu to prevent civilian deaths when he visited Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, 10 days after the Hamas attack. Mr. Biden told the prime minister that the United States supports Israel, but “you can’t carpet bomb these communities.”
Israel’s bombing campaign It was one of the most violent wars of the 21st century, and the country sometimes used inaccurate bombs.
During the interview, Mr. Biden defended his continued support for Israel throughout the conflict.
“When Iran thought it was going to wipe Israel off the map, it fired tens of thousands of rockets at them,” he said. “Well, guess what? We did not allow it.”
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