From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
At UNGA, Biden describes horrors of Oct. 7, urges Israel and Hamas to accept ceasefire
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US President Joe Biden calls on Israel and Hamas to agree to the ceasefire and hostage release deal that the US has brokered with Egypt and Qatar during his speech at the UN General Assembly.
Beginning this section of his speech, Biden stresses that “the world must not flinch from the horrors of October 7. Any country would have the right, responsibility to ensure that such an attack could never happen again.”
“Thousands of Iran-backed Hamas terrorists invaded a sovereign state, slaughtering and massacring more than 1,200 people, including 46 Americans in their homes and at a music festival. Despicable acts of sexual violence. Two hundred and fifty innocents taken hostage. I’ve met with the families of those hostages. I’ve grieved with them. They’re going through hell,” Biden says.
Turning to the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, Biden says, “Innocent civilians in Gaza are also going through hell. Thousands and thousands of civilians, including aid workers, too many families displaced, crowding in the tents, facing a dire humanitarian situation. They didn’t ask for this war that Hamas started.”
“I put forward with Qatar and Egypt a ceasefire and hostage deal. It’s been endorsed by the UN Security Council. Now is the time for the parties to finalize its terms, bring the hostages home and secure security for Israel and a Gaza free of Hamas’s grip, ease the suffering in Gaza and end this war,” Biden says to applause.
