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Major powers urge Israel and Hamas to agree to Gaza ceasefire

Major powers urge Israel and Hamas to agree to Gaza ceasefire as Israel bombards enclave
MENA
24 min read
Washington is pushing the UN Security Council to adopt its ceasefire deal on Gaza, as the Israeli military continues its bloody offensive in the territory.

Heavy Israeli bombardment and fighting rocked Gaza on Tuesday after G7 and Arab powers urged both Israel and Hamas to agree to a truce and hostage release deal outlined by US President Joe Biden.

Mediator Qatar said it had yet to see statements from either side "that give us a lot of confidence", but the foreign ministry said Doha was "working with both sides on proposals on the table".

Washington said it would seek a UN Security Council resolution to back the three-phase roadmap which Biden presented last Friday as Israel's plan, even as the war has ground on.

Under the proposal, fighting would stop for an initial six weeks and hostages would be swapped for Palestinian prisoners, ahead of the start of a phase to rebuild Gaza, Biden said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has, however, stressed that fighting would only have to cease temporarily to free the captives, and that Israel still plans to destroy Hamas. The Palestinian group criticised Washington and the West's calls for it to accept the ceasefire proposal, saying on Tuesday it was "as if it is Hamas who is hampering the deal".