Biden called on Israel and Hamas to ceasefire at the UN General Assembly.

During his speech at the UN General Assembly, US President Joe Biden called on Israel and Hamas, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, to complete work on a ceasefire proposal that Washington has been working on for months with partner countries in the region.

“It's time for the parties to finalize its terms,” ​​he said of the agreement brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

Biden said the world “must not be shocked by the horror of October 7” — when Hamas raided southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, who Biden said were “going through hell” along with innocent civilians in Gaza. He said the deal proposed by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt “will bring the hostages home and bring security to Israel and Gaza, ease the suffering in Gaza, and end this war.”

He also warned against a “full-scale war” in Lebanon, where fighting has escalated and hundreds were killed the day before in Israeli strikes aimed at rooting out Hezbollah militants, designated a terrorist organization by the United States, and their ammunition stockpiles.

“Full-scale war is not in anyone's interest. Even though the situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible,” Biden said, also stressing that the U.N. should work to ensure that Iran “never, ever gets a nuclear weapon.”