RIO DE JANEIRO: US President Joe Biden called on G20 leaders Monday to step up pressure on Hamas for a ceasefire with Israel, as he vowed to “keep pushing” for a deal in his last weeks before Donald Trump returns to the White House.
“I ask everyone here to increase their pressure on Hamas, which is currently refusing this deal,” Biden said in his opening remarks to the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.
The outgoing president also renewed his calls for Israel to limit civilian casualties in its war in Gaza, which it launched following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
“Israel has a right to defend itself after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. But how it defends itself... matters a great deal,” said Biden, who is attending his last G20 meeting.
“We’re going to keep pushing to accelerate a cease-fire deal that ensures Israel’s security and brings hostages home and ends the suffering of the Palestinian people and children.”
Biden has steadfastly backed Israel while counseling restraint for more than a year but it remains to be seen what US policy will look like after Trump takes office on January 20.
Trump has picked strongly pro-Israel officials for his cabinet and has never committed to an independent Palestinian state - yet his hunger for making historic deals makes him unpredictable.
Hamas on Friday called on Trump to “pressure” Israel, and said the group was “ready for a ceasefire.”
