Biden backs Israel: Calls for end to Gaza conflict
The U.S. President, Joe Biden, spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As the American president announced, he congratulated Netanyahu on the operation in which Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed. "It's time for this war to end and bring these hostages home," Biden added.
6:53 AM EDT, October 18, 2024
Biden said he had called Netanyahu to commend him for the successful operation against Sinwar, describing the Hamas leader as responsible for much bloodshed. The U.S. president also expressed his hope for swift action to bring the conflict to a close, making these remarks on Thursday night after he arrived in Berlin, Germany.
As the U.S. president added, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel in the coming days to negotiate a ceasefire agreement.
Biden and Netanyahu discussed how to use the moment of Sinwar's death to free the Hamas hostages and end the war, ensure Israel's security, and prevent Hamas from regaining control over Gaza, according to a White House statement.
"The US President praised the IDF and their excellent work," according to a statement from Netanyahu's office after the conversation.
Hamas leader killed in Israeli attack
The Israeli military announced on Thursday that soldiers killed the leader of the ruling Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Sinwar was one of the architects of the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 were kidnapped. Ninety-seven of the hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip; according to the Israeli military, some of them are no longer alive.
In the brutal Israeli intervention aimed at Hamas in the Gaza Strip over more than a year, over 42,000 Palestinians have been killed. The U.S. has repeatedly attempted to broker a ceasefire. So far, all negotiations have ended in failure.
