Biden Predicts Israel-Hamas Truce as Early as Next Week

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at prospects for an Israel-Hamas cease-fire, Europe debating the idea of sending troops to Ukraine, and an ongoing walkout by South Korean doctors.

Ramadan Cease-Fire Possible

U.S. President Joe Biden hinted in an interview aired on Tuesday that Israel may be willing to pause its assault on Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin on March 10. A temporary truce, however, would be contingent on Hamas releasing Israeli hostages currently held in Gaza. “My hope is by next Monday, we will have a cease-fire,” Biden said.

Israel has not commented directly on Biden’s statements, but Israeli government spokesperson Tal Heinrich said any deal would require Hamas to drop what she called “outlandish demands.” “We are willing. But the question remains whether Hamas are willing,” she added. Hamas said it has yet to receive a formal proposal. “We are not interested in engaging with what’s been floated because it does not fulfill our demands,” Hamas official Ahmad Abdelhadi said. He alleged that leaked information about the negotiations is an Israeli and U.S. tactic to weaken Hamas’s position.

U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari officials are in Doha, Qatar, this week to mediate ongoing talks between the Israeli delegation and Hamas representatives. “My national security advisor tells me that we’re close—close, but not done yet,” Biden said regarding the deal. According to a senior Egyptian official, the current six-week cease-fire proposal includes the release of up to 40 women and older Israeli hostages in exchange for up to 300 Palestinian prisoners, mostly women, children, and older adults. Other reports put the number of Palestinian prisoners to be exchanged closer to 400 people. The draft also stipulates that hundreds of aid trucks would be allowed into Gaza every day.

During the pause, negotiations would continue to secure the release of the remaining captives that Hamas is holding in return for the freeing of more Palestinian prisoners. Roughly 100 Israeli hostages are believed to still be alive in Gaza. Even with a temporary truce, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday that Israel would “continue fighting until the very last hostages return.”

March 10 is also the deadline that Israel previously set for launching a ground assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, warning that it will commence such an operation if Hamas fails to return its remaining Israeli hostages by that date. The Israeli military submitted operational plans for cabinet approval this week, as well as evacuation proposals for the roughly 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering in Rafah.

Israel has “made a commitment to me [that] they’re going to see to it that there’s an ability to evacuate significant portions of Rafah before they go and take out the remainder of Hamas,” Biden said. Yet Israeli air assaults on Rafah continue, including an airstrike on Tuesday that killed dozens of Palestinians, including women and children.

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What We’re Following

Supplying the Russia-Ukraine war. French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that European troop deployments to Ukraine should not be ruled out as he spoke during a gathering of world leaders in Paris on Monday. “We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Russia cannot win this war,” Macron said, though he acknowledged that the conference’s members lacked consensus on the issue. In response, German Deputy Chancellor Robert Habeck said there was “no chance” of such an escalation. Instead, Habeck urged Paris to send more weapons to Kyiv.

Russia warned on Tuesday that the foreign deployment of troops to Ukraine would make a full-scale war against NATO inevitable—just one day after Sweden cleared its final hurdle to join the soon-to-be 32-member alliance.

Meanwhile, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said on Tuesday that North Korea sent around 6,700 containers—possibly holding 3 million rounds of 152 mm shells—to Russia. Moscow, in turn, sent food, raw materials, and parts used in weapons manufacturing to Pyongyang. Both North Korea and Russia deny all arms transfers, but Ukraine has previously accused Pyongyang of transferring 1.5 million artillery shells as well as numerous missiles to Moscow.

Striking doctors given ultimatum. Seoul gave South Korean junior doctors four days on Monday to end their walkout or else the government said it would impose severe professional repercussions on the protesters. These could include legal action and a minimum three-month suspension of medical licenses. If South Korea imposes a back-to-work order, then any doctors who fail to follow through could face prison time of up to three years and have their licenses permanently revoked.

Nearly 9,000 residents and interns went on strike on Feb. 20 to protest a government decision to increase the number of students admitted into medical schools. Seoul argued that the move is necessary to meet the needs of the nation’s rapidly aging population and address low doctor-to-patient ratios. However, health workers have said insufficient pay, long hours, and increased competition will only worsen under the new policy.

Dengue outbreak threat. Peru declared a health emergency in 20 of its 25 regions on Monday to combat rising dengue cases. The disease, spread by mosquitos, has already killed at least 32 people in Peru this year—roughly twice as high as the same period last year. According to Peru’s health ministry, more than 31,000 cases have been recorded in 2024 thus far.

A dengue outbreak is “imminent,” Peruvian Health Minister César Vásquez said, with heat waves and heavy rains worsening the situation. Last year, 428 Peruvians died from dengue and nearly 270,000 others were infected, according to official data.

Odds and Ends

All hail the new Queen of the Mountains. Women mountaineers in Mexico crowned Mariana Garcia López at La Malinche volcano this weekend to the cheers of women from more than 60 climbing clubs. During her reign, Garcia López said she hopes to promote the restoration of high-elevation shelters alongside healthy and responsible climbing practices.