President Joe Biden announced on July 12 that Israeli and Hamas negotiators have agreed to a framework for a cease-fire in the ongoing Israel–Hamas war. This agreement comes after Hamas requested changes in June.
“There is still work to do and these are complex issues, but that framework is now agreed to by both Israel and Hamas,” President Biden stated in a social media post on July 12. “My team is making progress and I’m determined to get this done.”
The conflict began nine months ago when Hamas fighters carried out attacks across southern Israel, taking around 250 people as hostages back to the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated a wartime goal to free all hostages, eliminate Hamas, and ensure no new threat to Israel can persist in the Gaza Strip.
Any cease-fire outline must allow Israel to return to fighting until all war objectives are achieved, according to Mr. Netanyahu’s office. They also emphasized the prevention of weapons flowing into Gaza and the return of armed terrorists to the northern Gaza Strip.
Israel will insist that Hamas releases the maximum number of living hostages possible in the first phase of the multi-part cease-fire framework.
Please note that this is a breaking news article and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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