However, outside of a few anonymous officials and aides speaking to US media, there is scant evidence that Biden played a significant role in the negotiations.
While outlets pointed to Biden’s recent calls for a humanitarian pause as evidence that he was pressuring Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu to show more restraint, Biden and White House officials always couched the calls for a pause in the conflict with assurances that there were no red lines the Israeli government could cross that would result in them pulling aid. The Biden administration also claimed a ceasefire would “benefit Hamas.”
“A ceasefire, right now, really only benefits Hamas,” White House spokesman John Kirby said in late October. “It is ugly and it’s going to be messy, and innocent civilians are going to be hurt going forward,” he said of Israel’s operation.
Furthermore, it has been reported that Biden administrations were worried that a ceasefire would give journalists an opportunity to enter Gaza and document the destruction there which could “turn public opinion on Israel.”
The ceasefire deal, which includes a four day pause in the fighting and the release of 150 women and children prisoners held by Israel in exchange for 50 of the women and children taken by Hamas during their surprise attack on October 7. The deal may be extended with the release of more hostages, but Netanyahu has made clear that he plans to continue military actions in Gaza once the ceasefire ends.
Since the attack, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in another 240 being abducted, more than 12,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes.