Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Eager to put an end to the war on Gaza, US President Joe Biden tried to pressure Israel into accepting the latest ceasefire deal by calling it an Israeli proposal, an analyst said.
But that has failed to put an end to the devastating, months-long war on the Gaza Strip.
"They just came out and said, 'No, we don't accept'," Khaled Elgindy, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and an expert on US-Israeli relations, told the National. "And so, here we are."
On Sunday the White House insisted that the latest plan for a ceasefire in Gaza laid out by Mr Biden was proposed by Israel, and said the US expects Israel to accept it.
"This was an Israeli proposal," National Security spokesman John Kirby told ABC.
"We have every expectation that if Hamas agrees to the proposal as was transmitted to them, an Israeli proposal, that Israel would say yes again."
On Wednesday, Israeli negotiators had reportedly made an offer for a ceasefire to Hamas.
But on Saturday, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backtracked, saying that any deal that did not include the destruction of Hamas was a "non-starter".
On Sunday, a senior adviser to Mr Netanyahu, Ophir Falk, told Britain's The Sunday Times that Mr Biden's proposal was "a deal we agreed to" but that it was "not a good deal but we dearly want the hostages released, all of them".
The comments came after mediators Egypt, Qatar and the US put out a joint statement calling on Hamas and Israel to finalise the ceasefire agreement.
Mr Elgindy said a core issue is Israel's goal of eradicating Hamas.
"The [Biden] administration has clearly accepted the idea that Hamas is not going to be destroyed, which was always an absurd concept," he said.
"They're now saying, you've done enough damage to Hamas that they are not capable of carrying out another October 7 kind of attack."
More than 36,400 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since the war began, local health authorities say.
On October 7, Israel launched a military campaign on the coastal enclave after a Hamas-led attack on the country's south killed 1,200 people.
Mr Kirby said that after eight months of war, Hamas is now no longer capable of another attack on Israel.
"The Israelis have accomplished almost all of their goals in Gaza," he said.
Mr Biden, who is running for re-election in November, has been under pressure to rein in Israel and do more to end to the conflict.
Protests have erupted across the country, and polls show he has lost substantial support among progressives and Arab Americans.
But Mr Biden is also wary of backlash from his Republican rivals, and the staunchly pro-Israel US Congress.
On Friday he announced that Israel had offered a comprehensive, three-phased ceasefire proposal that would lead to an end to the war in Gaza and its reconstruction, and declared that it was "time for this war to end”.
The first phase, Mr Biden said, involves a six-week ceasefire, during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza, a number of hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, and humanitarian aid would be enabled.
The second phase would see the rest of the living hostages released and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, while the third would consist of a rebuilding plan for Gaza and a return of the bodies of hostages who died in custody.
Hamas has said that it viewed the latest ceasefire proposal positively.
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Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
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TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
