WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden and 16 other world leaders including key European and Latin American players on Thursday jointly urged Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal and for Israel to accept compromises.
“There is no time to lose. We call on Hamas to close this agreement,” said the statement issued by the White House.
The statement was signed by the leaders of key European powers Britain, France and Germany as well as by Spain, which has infuriated Israel by recognizing a Palestinian state.
More unusually, the statement brought together the ideologically divergent leaders of South America’s most populous nations — Brazil and Colombia, whose left-wing presidents have stridently denounced Israel, and Argentina, whose new libertarian leader backs Israel.
The United States has repeatedly said the onus is on Hamas to accept the deal, but the statement also called for flexibility from Israel.
“At this decisive moment, we call on the leaders of Israel as well as Hamas to make whatever final compromises are necessary to close this deal and bring relief to the families of our hostages, as well as those on both sides of this terrible conflict, including the civilian populations,” it said.
“It is time for the war to end and this deal is the necessary starting point.”
Biden last week publicly announced a new plan in which Israel would withdraw from Gaza population centers and Hamas would free hostages for an initial six weeks, with the ceasefire extended as negotiators seek a permanent end to hostilities.
He billed the plan as an Israeli offer, although it has drawn criticism from some right-wing Israeli politicians critical to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government.
Mediator Qatar has submitted the plan to Hamas for review. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also been pushing the plan through phone calls with Arab foreign ministers.
Thursday’s statement was also signed by Thailand, which has a large force of workers in Israel and saw around 30 of its citizens taken hostage of around the 250 people seized by gunmen on October 7.
Other countries signing the statement were Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Serbia.
Israel’s military offensive has killed at least 36,654 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
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Biden, key European and Latin American leaders, urge Hamas to accept deal
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Biden, key European and Latin American leaders, urge Hamas to accept deal
- Talks in Qatar were aimed at finding a formula that could reassure Hamas over its demand for guarantees
Sudanese paramilitary drone attack kills 50, including 33 children in Kordofan, doctor group says
CAIRO: A drone attack by the Sudanese paramilitary forces hit a kindergarten in south-central Sudan, killing 50 people, including 33 children, a doctors’ group said.
Paramedics on the scene in the town of Kalogi in South Kordofan state were targeted in “a second unexpected attack,” the group said in a statement late Friday.
The death toll is expected to be higher, but communication blackouts in the area have made it difficult to report casualties.
Thursday’s attack is the latest in the fighting between the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, also known as the RSF, and the Sudanese military, who have been at war for over two years. It is now concentrating in the oil-rich Kordofan states.
“Killing children in their school is a horrific violation of children’s rights,” said UNICEF Representative for Sudan Sheldon Yett in a statement Friday.
“Children should never pay the price of conflict,” said Yett.
He said UNICEF urges all parties “to stop these attacks immediately and allow safe, unhindered access for humanitarian assistance to reach those in desperate need.”
Hundreds of civilians were killed throughout the Kordofan states in the last few weeks as intensified fighting shifted from Darfur after the RSF took over the besieged city of el-Fasher.
Sudanese military aerial strikes on Sunday killed at least 48 people, mostly civilians, in Kauda, South Kordofan.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned that Kordofan could face new atrocities like those in el-Fasher.
RSF’s violent takeover of el-Fasher was marked with executions of civilians, rapes and sexual assaults, and other atrocities. Thousands escaped and thousands more are feared killed or trapped in the city.
The RSF and the Sudanese military have been fighting for power over Sudan since 2023. More than 40,000 people were killed in the war, according to the World Health Organization, and 12 million displaced. However, aid groups say the true death toll could be way higher.
Paramedics on the scene in the town of Kalogi in South Kordofan state were targeted in “a second unexpected attack,” the group said in a statement late Friday.
The death toll is expected to be higher, but communication blackouts in the area have made it difficult to report casualties.
Thursday’s attack is the latest in the fighting between the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, also known as the RSF, and the Sudanese military, who have been at war for over two years. It is now concentrating in the oil-rich Kordofan states.
“Killing children in their school is a horrific violation of children’s rights,” said UNICEF Representative for Sudan Sheldon Yett in a statement Friday.
“Children should never pay the price of conflict,” said Yett.
He said UNICEF urges all parties “to stop these attacks immediately and allow safe, unhindered access for humanitarian assistance to reach those in desperate need.”
Hundreds of civilians were killed throughout the Kordofan states in the last few weeks as intensified fighting shifted from Darfur after the RSF took over the besieged city of el-Fasher.
Sudanese military aerial strikes on Sunday killed at least 48 people, mostly civilians, in Kauda, South Kordofan.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned that Kordofan could face new atrocities like those in el-Fasher.
RSF’s violent takeover of el-Fasher was marked with executions of civilians, rapes and sexual assaults, and other atrocities. Thousands escaped and thousands more are feared killed or trapped in the city.
The RSF and the Sudanese military have been fighting for power over Sudan since 2023. More than 40,000 people were killed in the war, according to the World Health Organization, and 12 million displaced. However, aid groups say the true death toll could be way higher.
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