Biden Says He Will Push for Peace With Hamas ‘Over the Coming Days’ After Israel/Lebanon Cease-Fire | Video

“Hamas has refused for months and months to negotiate a good faith cease-fire and a hostage deal,” the president adds. “So now Hamas has a choice to make”

President Joe Biden (NBC News)
President Joe Biden (NBC News)

President Joe Biden just confirmed that a cease-fire has been agreed to between the prime ministers of Israel and Lebanon. However, Israeli airstrikes continue to drop in Beirut before the agreement takes effect Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday, Biden announced in the White House Rose Garden that a deal brokered by France and the U.S. was reached between the Middle Eastern countries – who’ve been striking one another since October 2023.

“Under the deal reached today, effective at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow, local time, the fighting across the Lebanese/Israeli border will end,” Biden said. “This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities … What is left of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be allowed, I emphasize, will not be allowed, to threaten the security of Israel again.”

Biden continued, “Over the next 60 days, the Lebanese army and state security forces will deploy and take control of their own territory. And over the next 60 days, Israel will gradually withdraw its remaining forces.”

The outgoing president also brought up the conflict between Israel and Hamas. He called out Hamas for refusing to negotiate in their own good faith cease-fire. Biden said with the Israel/Hezbollah proposal, the U.S. and other countries would make another attempt at a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas “over the coming days.”

“The people of Gaza have been through hell, their world is absolutely shattered,” Biden said of Palestine. “Far too many civilians in Gaza have suffered far too much. Hamas has refused for months and months to negotiate a good faith cease-fire and a hostage deal. So now Hamas has a choice to make. Their only way out is to release the hostages, including American citizens which they hold. In the process, bring an end to the fighting which would make possible the surge of humanitarian relief.”

He added, “Over the coming days, the United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza – with the hostages released and the end of the war without Hamas in power.”

As Biden was wrapping up his comments on the cease-fire from Washington, D.C. – which again, takes effect on Wednesday morning – the Lebanese capital of Beirut was hit with at least one Israeli airstrike.

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