Biden urges Israel and Hamas to finalize ceasefire agreement amid ongoing conflict

NEW YORK – Israel and Hamas must reach an agreement that would end the Israel-Hamas War, US President Joe Biden told the United Nations on Tuesday as he emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense and called out Hamas for the terror it perpetrated during its October 7 attack on the Jewish state.

“I put forward with Qatar and Egypt a ceasefire and hostage deal that’s been endorsed by the UN Security Council,” Biden told the plenum, referencing the May 31 proposal that has yet to be finalized.

The main mediators of that deal to secure the release of the remaining 101 hostages in Gaza have been Qatar and Egypt with the help of the UN.

“Now is the time for the parties to finalize its terms, bring the hostages home to secure security for Israel and Gaza free of Hamas grip, ease the suffering in Gaza, and end this [war],” Biden said.

Biden strongly condemned the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, in which over 1,200 people died, and another 251 were seized as hostages. He also underscored Israel’s right to self-defense at a time when the UN General Assembly has sought to strip Israel of that right.

“The world must not flinch from the horrors of October 7. Any country, any country, must have the right and responsibility to ensure that such an attack could never happen again,” Biden said.

Biden condemns Hamas attack

On October 7, Hamas “terrorists invaded a sovereign state, slaughtering and massacring more than 1,200 people, including 46 Americans, in their homes and at a music festival,” Biden said.

The perpetrators of that attack “committed despicable acts of sexual violence,” in which 251 “innocents [were] taken hostage,” Biden said.

“I’ve met with the families of those hostages. I’ve grieved with them. They’re going through hell,” Biden said. “innocent civilians in Gaza are also going through hell,” with thousands killed and wounded, including aid workers.

Hamas has reported that over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in the war. Israel has said 17,000 of those fatalities are combatants.

“Too many families [are] dislocated [in Gaza], crowding in the tents facing a dire humanitarian situation. They didn’t ask for this war that Hamas started,” Biden stated.

The president also addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict more globally. It is important, he said, to “address the rising violence against innocent Palestinians in the West Bank and set the conditions for a better future, including a two-state solution." 

In this scenario, Israel would “enjoy security and peace and full recognition and normalized relations with all its neighbors,” Biden said.

Palestinians would “live in security, dignity, and self–determination in a state of their own,” he said.

“Progress toward peace would put us in a stronger position to counter the ongoing threat posed by Iran,” Biden said. “Together we must deny oxygen to its [Iran’s] terrorist proxies, which have called for more October 7”-style attacks, Biden said.

The international community must “ensure that Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon,” he stressed.

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hammad Al Thani accused Israel of “genocide” against the Palestinians in Gaza and of “Judaizing” Jerusalem.

“There is no point in talking about security, peace, and stability in the Middle East region and across the world if not backed by concrete steps leading to an immediate ceasefire and an end to the Israeli occupation of all Arab territories,” he said.

The emir said his country had worked to help mediate a ceasefire deal but accused Israel of taking steps to thwart it, such as assassinating Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Israel has not taken responsibility for the assassination, but it is widely presumed that it carried it out.

“This is a mediation amidst fierce war and complex circumstances during which one party would not hesitate to assassinate a counterpart political leader with whom it negotiates, such as the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh,” the emir said.