Biden pushes for six-week ‘pause’ in Gaza war as part of hostage deal

Jordan’s King Abdullah II warns an Israeli invasion of Rafah would cause a humanitarian catastrophe

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President Joe Biden on Monday said his administration is working on a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas that would halt fighting in Gaza for at least six weeks.

Mr Biden, who was speaking from the White House after meeting Jordan’s King Abdullah II, also said Israel should not invade Rafah without “a credible plan” to ensure the safety of Palestinian civilians.

Mr Biden said he, King Abdullah and others in the region were working “day and night” for a deal that would bring “hostages home, ease the humanitarian crisis and end the terror threat, and to bring peace to Gaza and Israel”.

Key elements of the deal “are on the table, but gaps remain”, he said, noting that the Israel-Gaza war was the “front and centre” issue in the Middle East and beyond.

The meeting marks King Abdullah’s fourth visit to the White House since Mr Biden became President in 2021.

A US-backed deal would mark the second humanitarian pause.

Aid supplies would enter the besieged Gaza Strip and hostages held by Hamas would be released in exchange for Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.

Such a pause “would bring an immediate and sustained period of calm into Gaza for at least six weeks, which we could then take the time to build something more enduring”, Mr Biden said.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is preparing for a major military operation in Rafah, near the Egyptian border, where an estimated 1.3 million people have been forced to flee.

The Biden administration has repeatedly said it would not support any such plans as it would spell disaster for the Palestinian civilians who have sought refuge there.

King Abdullah warned that an attack on Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians displaced from elsewhere in Gaza are seeking refuge, would be “certain” to trigger a humanitarian catastrophe.

“We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah,” he said. “We cannot stand by and let this continue. We need a lasting ceasefire now. This war must end.”

He said it is imperative for the UN agency for Palestine refugees, the UNRWA, to receive the support it needs to carry out its vital work in Gaza.

Several governments have paused funding after allegations that UNRWA staff members took part in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks against Israel.

King Abdullah was accompanied on his White House visit by Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and ambassador to the US Dina Kawar.

His delegation held an expanded meeting with White House officials before the king’s meeting with Mr Biden.

It is the first meeting between the two leaders since a drone strike killed three US troops at a base in Jordan last month.