Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal by Ramadan ‘looking tough,’ Biden says


President Biden said Friday that reaching a deal for a cease-fire in Gaza by Ramadan is “looking tough,” a shift from his previous optimism on negotiations in the lead-up to the Muslim holy month.

Israel and Hamas are trying to reach a deal through mediators that would pause fighting and allow for the release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. During a pause in fighting last year, Hamas exchanged more than 100 hostages for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Biden said this week that if a pause is not reached by Ramadan — which begins Sunday or Monday, depending on the phases of the moon — “it could be very, very dangerous” and that “we’re trying hard for that cease-fire.” Asked Friday by reporters whether he was worried about violence in East Jerusalem without it, he said, “I sure am.”

Jerusalem is the location of the al-Aqsa Mosque, where devout Muslims often spend the late hours of Ramadan in prayer. Last year during Ramadan, an Israeli raid on the mosque left more than two dozens worshipers injured, prompting rocket fire from Gaza and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.

As cease-fire hopes dim and humanitarian groups warn that Gaza is on the brink of famine, Biden announced Thursday that the U.S. military would construct a temporary port and pier on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast to facilitate aid delivery.

Here’s what else to know

The Pentagon said Friday that the floating pier will enable the delivery of 2 million meals daily to Gaza, where Palestinians are facing starvation amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. The European Union, United States and United Arab Emirates the same day announced plans for a new maritime corridor to deliver aid to Gaza via Cyprus, as access to the territory by land remains limited. The route could be operational as early as Sunday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

Five people were killed Friday after an apparent parachute malfunction caused a loaded crate to fall on people, according to a civil defense spokesman in Gaza. Several countries have airdropped aid to Gaza in recent weeks, including the United States. U.S. Central Command said Friday that it was “aware of reports of civilians killed as a result of humanitarian airdrops” and that the incident was not the result of U.S. airdrops.

Canada announced Friday that it will resume funding to UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinians. It was one of several countries, including the United States, Britain and Australia, to pause funding in the wake of Israel’s allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. Canada said Friday that it “commends the independent review of UNRWA currently underway.”

U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk on Friday condemned Israeli plans to build some 3,000 settlement homes in the West Bank, saying such a move flies “in the face of international law.” In a February report, Türk said Israel’s establishment and expansion of settlements amounted to transferring its civilian population into territory it occupies, which “amounts to a war crime,” he wrote.

U.S. Central Command said early Saturday that the Houthis conducted a “large-scale” drone attack into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. American and coalition forces in the region shot down 15 one-way attack drones, Centcom said. The Houthis have been targeting ships in the waterway in protest of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, upending global shipping routes.

At least 30,878 people have been killed and 72,402 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 247 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.





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