Just now! Biden, big announcement!

On the first day of September, good news came from the Middle East.

On September 1st, Reuters reported that US President Joe Biden told reporters in Hobosbeach, Delaware that he was "still optimistic" about reaching a ceasefire agreement to end the conflict. "I think we are close to reaching an agreement," he said. "It’s time to end this war."

From today on, Gaza has ushered in a brief peace. According to the World Health Organization, the Israeli military and Hamas have agreed to divide the Gaza into three areas, each of which will suspend fighting for three days in order to vaccinate 640,000 children in Gaza with the first round of polio vaccine. Vaccination activities began on September 1st.

The humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza has rekindled hopes for the almost stalled Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire negotiations. The White House recently said that it hopes to make a breakthrough in reaching a ceasefire agreement, which is in line with the three-stage ceasefire negotiation plan announced by US President Biden at the end of May. US media reported that American and Israeli officials said that negotiations would continue in Cairo and Doha this week.

Biden has the latest statement on the ceasefire.

On September 1st, Reuters reported that US President Joe Biden told reporters in Hobosbeach, Delaware that he was "still optimistic" about reaching a ceasefire agreement to end the conflict.

"I think we are close to reaching an agreement," he said. "It’s time to end this war."

Biden added, "People are continuing to meet. We think we can reach an agreement, and they all agree with these principles. "

According to reports, Israel claimed that many bodies were found in the fighting in Gaza, and the Israeli military is conducting salvage and identification work on the bodies, which will take several hours.

This discovery means that some of the approximately 100 hostages still held there may have died.

Israel asked the public not to spread rumors about the identity of the body.

Biden said that his staff kept in touch with the Israelis and confirmed that they had found the body in Gaza. He wasn’t sure about the exact number of bodies. Biden added that he has no right to confirm the identity of the body at present.

Biden told reporters in Hobos Beach, Delaware: "There is a lot of speculation about who they are and their names. At present, I have no right to disclose this information before notifying the families of the deceased. "

Gaza’s Ministry of Health said in a statement on Saturday that since October 7 last year, Israeli military attacks on the Gaza have killed more than 40,000 Palestinians and injured about 94,000 others.

According to CCTV news client, on August 31st, local time, Israeli people and relatives of Israeli detainees held a large-scale protest in Tel Aviv, calling on the Israeli government to take immediate action to reach a ceasefire agreement with Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and release Israeli detainees as soon as possible.

A rare temporary ceasefire

On August 31st, Global Times quoted Reuters as saying that pipper Cohen, the representative of the World Health Organization in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, issued a statement at the United Nations Headquarters on the 29th, saying that the Israeli military and Hamas had agreed to divide the Gaza into three areas, each of which would suspend fighting for three days, so as to vaccinate 640,000 Gaza children with the first round of polio vaccine.

According to the report, pipper Cohen said that the vaccination campaign will start on September 1st. According to the agreement, the Israeli army and Hamas will cease fire for three days in the central Gaza, then for three days in the southern Gaza and finally for three days in the northern Gaza.

He said that the two sides are welcome to "initially promise to implement a temporary humanitarian ceasefire in specific areas". "We need these humanitarian suspensions and hope that all parties can abide by this, otherwise it will be impossible to carry out vaccination activities."

Pipper Cohen also said that three days "may not be enough to achieve adequate vaccination", and vaccination activities in each region will be extended by one day if necessary.

Polio, which mainly affects children under 5 years old, can lead to irreversible paralysis and even death. It is highly contagious and cannot be cured. WHO says it can only be prevented by immunization.

According to CNN, Israeli officials said that Israel had agreed to start polio vaccination in Gaza from September 1st.

A US official told CNN that US Secretary of State Blinken urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a vaccination campaign in Gaza last week. Netanyahu agreed to cooperate with the United States on relevant details. However, the Israel Times quoted a source as saying on the 30th that the temporary ceasefire area does not include the area where the IDF is currently operating.

There are variables in ceasefire negotiations.

The humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza has rekindled hopes for the almost stalled Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire negotiations.

The White House recently said that it hopes to make a breakthrough in reaching a ceasefire agreement, which is in line with the three-stage ceasefire negotiation plan announced by US President Biden at the end of May.

The American Axios website reported on the 29th that American and Israeli officials said that negotiations would continue in Cairo and Doha this week. Although no breakthrough has been made in the negotiations, American officials said that they are encouraged that the negotiations can continue and have prevented the tension between Israel and Hezbollah or Iran from escalating.

However, judging from the latest situation, the short-term ceasefire may break down again at any time. On 30th, Israeli military operations continued in Gaza.

The Israeli military said on the 30th that in the past 24 hours, it attacked 30 targets in Gaza and "wiped out" dozens of habas militants. Reuters said that on the evening of 29th, Israeli troops attacked a car of the American Middle East Aid and Development Association in an air raid on southern Gaza, killing five people. Just a few hours before the air raid, Israeli soldiers also opened fire on a World Food Program vehicle with the United Nations logo. The State Council called these attacks "deeply disturbing" and said that "humanitarian workers are there to help innocent civilians, and Israel must ensure their protection".

Israel’s large-scale military operations in some towns and refugee camps in the West Bank entered its third day on the 30th, killing at least 19 Palestinians. The United Nations warned that the Israeli military action in the West Bank "worsened the already critical situation in the region".

Egypt’s Dawn newspaper said on the 30th that, in fact, Israel’s "iron fist policy" has not been loosened. According to the report, the Palestinian-Israeli issue is not a pain that can be cured by a single dose of vaccine, but requires in-depth political dialogue and practical solutions. In this chaotic land, the real long-term peace is still out of reach, and the short-term ceasefire may break again at any time.

Editor: Lin Gen

Proofreading: Tao Qian