Fragile Israel-Hamas Cease-fire Met with Cheers, Criticism

"I extend my sincere gratitude to President el-Sissi and the senior Egyptian officials who played such a critical role in this diplomacy," Biden said during televised remarks from the White House that lasted four minutes.

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The Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank, and other Middle Eastern countries were also involved in the discussions, according to Biden.

"These hostilities have resulted in the tragic deaths of so many civilians, including children, and I send my sincere condolences to all the families, Israeli and Palestinian, who have lost loved ones, and my hope for a full recovery for the wounded," President Biden said.

FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Israeli border police, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, May 13, 2021.

Biden said he had spoken with Netanyahu again Thursday and commended him "for the
decision to bring the current hostilities to a close within less than 11 days. I also emphasized what I've said throughout this conflict — the United States fully supports Israel's right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks from Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorist groups that have taken the lives of innocent civilians in Israel."

Biden said he also promised the Israeli leader that the United States would replenish Israel's Iron Dome rocket interception system.

The two sides continued to trade blows before the cease-fire, with Israeli air sirens warning of incoming Hamas rockets, and an airstrike in Gaza heard by a Reuters reporter.

UN emergency meeting

Earlier, at the U.N., Israel's ambassador said his government wanted a cease-fire "but only after significantly degrading Hamas' terror machine."

"This is not a war between Israel and the people of Gaza," Ambassador Gilad Erdan said.

"This is not a war between Israel and the Palestinians. This is a war only between Israel and Hamas. We will never apologize for defending our citizens, even if some countries here might be happy to see a greater number of dead Jews."

FILE - Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, is pictured in Jerusalem, Dec. 11, 2018.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told reporters at the U.N., where he participated in a meeting on the situation, that "the carnage, the aggression, the attack, will stop. It is good that the Palestinian people, the more than 2 million of them (in Gaza), will be able to go to sleep tonight knowing that they will have a brighter tomorrow. But that's not enough, that's not enough at all."

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The Palestinian foreign minister said the issues that triggered this latest round of violence — the situation for Muslims at their holy sites in Jerusalem and the evictions of Palestinian families in parts of the city — must be addressed.

FILE - Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki attends a meeting in Moscow, Russia, (5/5/2021)

The Biden administration had blocked efforts at the U.N. Security Council to issue a condemnation of the fighting and call for a truce, drawing criticism from some countries. All 15 council members must agree on such statements.