Very dangerous if no truce
by Ramadan: Biden
US President Joe Biden warned Tuesday of a “very, very dangerous” situation without a Gaza ceasefire deal by Ramadan. Biden also told ally Israel there were “no excuses” for failing to allow more aid into the Palestinian enclave where the UN warns famine is looming. Biden’s comments came as US frustration grows with Israel over Gaza’s aid needs and spiralling civilian death toll. He added: “There’s got to be a ceasefire because Ramadan – if we get into circumstances where this continues to Ramadan, Israel and Jerusalem could be very, very dangerous.”
Three security sources from host and mediator Egypt told Reuters the warring sides were sticking to demands that had held up an agreement. The Egyptians have remained in contact with the Israelis despite the absence of an Israeli delegation.
Earlier, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said the group had presented a draft ceasefire agreement, and was now waiting for a response from Israel.
A source said earlier that Israel was staying away because Hamas had refused to furnish a list of all hostages who are still alive. Naim said this was impossible without a ceasefire as hostages were scattered across the war zone and held by separate groups.
The Egyptian security sources said US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators were addressing this difference by offering separate guarantees to Hamas of peace talks to end the war.
Famine is now looming over the Gaza Strip as aid supplies, already sharply curtailed since the start of the war, have dwindled to barely a trickle over the past month. Swathes of the territory are completely cut off from food. Gaza’s few functioning hospitals, already overwhelmed by the wounded, are now filling with children starving to death.
