Israel-Hamas war: Lapid urges PM to pursue cease-fire deal

• Israel's opposition leader Lapid urges Netanyahu to heed Biden's Gaza deal
• Netanyahu says no Gaza cease-fire until Hamas destroyed
• Indonesia's president-elect says he will send peacekeeping troops to Gaza if they are needed

Here is a round-up of developments from the Israel-Hamas war and the wider Middle East region on Saturday, June 1.

06/01/2024June 1, 2024

Israel's opposition leader urges Netanyahu to accept ceasefire proposal

Israel's opposition leader Yair Lapid urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept US President Joe Biden's proposal to end the conflict in Gaza.

"The government of Israel cannot ignore President Biden's consequential speech. There is a deal on the table, and it should made," Yair Lapid wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Lapid said his party would support it even if right-wing factions in the governing coalition rebelled, meaning a deal would likely pass in parliament.

Biden said Friday the first phase of the deal would last six weeks and would include a complete cease-fire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas of the Gaza Strip.

This would allow Palestinians displaced by the fighting in the Palestinian territory to return to their homes. Biden also said that this phase would include the release of some hostages by Hamas in exchange for the release of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

The US president said that this would be followed by a second phase in which Israel and Hamas would negotiate a permanent end to hostilities. 

This phase would include the release of all remaining hostages.

lo/ab (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)