ROME – Leaders of the Group of Seven nations on Monday said they "fully endorse" a proposal recently outlined by US President Joe Biden to end the fighting in the Gaza Strip that would lead to an immediate ceasefire.
"We reaffirm our support for a credible pathway towards peace leading to a two State solution," the G7 leaders said in a joint statement on the agreement, which it said also includes "the release of all hostages, a significant and sustained increase in humanitarian assistance for distribution throughout Gaza, and an enduring end to the crisis, with Israel's security interests and Gazan civilian safety assured."
Biden on Friday aired what he described as a three-phase plan submitted by the Israeli government to end the war in the Gaza strip. The offer calls for a ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the reconstruction of Gaza.
"We call on Hamas to accept this deal, that Israel is ready to move forward with, and we urge countries with influence over Hamas to help ensure that it does so," the G7 leaders said.
The G7 countries include Italy, the UK, US, France, Germany, Japan and Canada. Meanwhile, some 40% of Israelis support a proposal announced late last week by US President Joe Biden that he said could lead to a permanent cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, according to a poll conducted by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority.
However, nearly 27% of the respondents said they opposed the deal and around 33% said they are undecided, the public broadcaster reported.
The survey also found that around 42% of Israelis believe the Palestinian group Hamas’s rule in the Gaza Strip cannot be eliminated, while 32% said Israel was capable of doing so.
It further revealed that 55% of Israelis “support expanding the confrontation with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.”
The sample included 605 Israelis over the age of 18, with a margin of error of slightly above 4%.
On Friday, Biden said Israel presented a three-phase deal that could end hostilities in the Gaza Strip and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. Anadolu