On Friday (March 8), US President Joe Biden expressed pessimism about the possibility of reaching a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, saying, “It’s looking tough.” Biden’s statements came amid rising regional tensions, as Ramadan approaches.
Additionally, Biden’s proposal to build a floating US military dock to expedite relief to Gaza poses practical obstacles. However, the Pentagon stated that the project may take up to 60 days to complete and would include over 1,000 American personnel.
Spokesman Pat Ryder reportedly said, “We’re working to set this up as quickly as possible, but we expect that it will take several weeks to plan and execute.”
“Now we’re in the process of identifying sourcing and, in some cases, preparing forces to deploy,” he further said, adding, “Simply put, they’ll establish a temporary offshore maritime pier that allows for shipping vessels to transfer cargo to smaller vessels to transport and offload cargo to a temporary causeway for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
Biden’s comments on the truce follow his recent State of the Union address on the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza since October 7.
During these developments, the United Nations issued a grim warning., cautioning that widespread famine in the Gaza Strip is “almost inevitable” without urgent intervention. “Children in Gaza cannot wait to eat. They are already dying from malnutrition, and saving their lives is a matter of hours or days – not weeks,” Jason Lee at Save the Children reportedly said.
‘No compromise’
Meanwhile, Hamas has demanded that Israel withdraw from Gaza to guarantee the release of hostages abducted during the October 7 attack. Despite continued mediation attempts, Hamas’ armed branch has stated that there will be “no compromise” on this demand.
According to Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, “Our top priority to reach a prisoner exchange deal is the complete commitment for the halt of aggression and an enemy withdrawal, and there is no compromise on this.”
As negotiations continue, the fear of famine heightens the urgency of resolving the crisis before the start of Ramadan. However, with both sides entrenched in their positions, reaching a cease-fire remains difficult.
