President Biden says hostage deal is ‘in Hamas’ hands’ as he continues to press for deal before Ramadan

U.S. President Joe Biden said the hostage release negotiations are “in the hands of Hamas right now,” while speaking to reporters on Tuesday. 

Biden has been pushing for a hostage deal with a six-week ceasefire to begin before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins on Sunday.

“The hostage deal is in the hands of Hamas right now… There’s been a rational offer. The Israelis have agreed to it… We’ll know in a couple days if it’s going to happen,” Biden told a group of reporters waiting outside Air Force One on Tuesday. 

He also indicated that the period of Ramadan would be “very, very dangerous” for Israel without a ceasefire.

Also on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, to discuss the negotiations.

Qatar has been a key figure in the hostage negotiation talks, as the country is home to several top Hamas leaders and has provided a significant amount of aid to the terror organization Hamas over the years. 

Before meeting with Al-Thani, Blinken said the U.S. would continue to press Israel to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza. While the U.S. claims Israel is not doing enough to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid, Israel has put the blame on the United Nations.

Government spokesman Eylon Levy and the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) office recently stated that the UN has not ensured delivery of humanitarian supplies crossing the border into Gaza. 

“There are no limits on the amount of humanitarian aid that can enter Gaza,” COGAT stated. 

Levy recently stated that humanitarian aid is “piling up on the Gazan side of the crossing” because the UNRWA, the UN agency assigned to distributing aid to Gazan civilians, had not picked it up. 

The recent U.S. aid airdrop was specifically intended to ensure direct delivery to the residents of Gaza, preventing any possibility of interception by Hamas.

Meanwhile, U.S. State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington supports Israel’s demand for a list of living hostages from Hamas before continuing with negotiations. 

Speaking at a press brief briefing, Miller said, “They took these hostages, they continue to hold them. If they continue to hold them, they must know where they are.” 

“If you are Israel, and you are in discussions about an agreement where you would see the return of a certain number of hostages, it is a fair question to Hamas to show you that they can actually deliver on that deal, show you who those hostages are and confirm that they are alive,” Miller continued.

“We think that is very much a legitimate request by the State of Israel.”