WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Friday that Hamas is “no longer capable” of carrying out another large-scale attack on Israel, as he urged Israelis and Hamas to reach an agreement to release the remaining hostages for an extended ceasefire.
Biden spoke about the nearly eight-month war between Israel and Hamas as the Israeli military confirmed Friday that its forces are now operating in central parts of Rafah in the expanding offensive in the southern city of Gaza.
“This is truly a defining moment,” Biden said as he spoke about a three-phase deal that Israeli officials have offered Hamas. “Israel has made its proposal. Hamas says it wants a ceasefire. This deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean business.”
Israel began its war in Gaza after Hamas’ attack on October 7, in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250. Israel says about 100 hostages are still trapped in Gaza, along with the bodies of about 30 more.
Ceasefire talks halted early this month after a major push by the US and other mediators to reach an agreement, hoping to avert a planned Israeli invasion of the southern city of Rafah.
The talks have been hampered by a central sticking point: Hamas is demanding guarantees that the war will end and that Israeli forces will withdraw completely from Gaza in exchange for the release of all hostages, a demand that Israel rejects.