‘Very dangerous’ if no Gaza ceasefire by Ramzan, ‘no excuses’ for Israel to stop aid, says Biden

If a truce between Israel and Hamas is not reached by the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, US President Joe Biden issued a dire warning on Tuesday, describing the situation as “very, very dangerous.” In addition, Biden warned Israel that there were “no excuses” for not allowing aid into the Palestinian area and stated that it was up to Hamas whether to accept an offer for a six-week ceasefire.

“It’s in the hands of Hamas right now,” the 81-year-old Biden told reporters as he prepared to fly back to the White House from the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.

“The Israelis have been cooperating, the offer (of a ceasefire) is rational. We’ll know in a couple of days. But we need the ceasefire,” he added.

“There’s got to be a ceasefire because Ramadan – if we get into circumstances where this continues to Ramadan, Israel and Jerusalem could be very, very dangerous.”

Ramadan will start on March 10 or 11, depending on the lunar calendar.