'We're so close': Joe Biden hopes for Gaza ceasefire by 'next Monday' as talks continue in Qatar
US President Joe Biden has expressed hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza as soon as "next Monday" as Israel and Hamas appeared to close in on a deal during talks in Qatar. "My national security adviser tells me that we're close. We're close. We're not done yet. My hope is by next Monday we'll have a ceasefire," Biden told reporters during a visit to New York.
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FollowUS President Joe Biden said Monday he hoped a ceasefire in Gaza could start by the beginning of next week. Representatives from Egypt, Qatar, the US, France, and other countries have worked as go-betweens for Israel and Hamas during a deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory, attempting to bring an end to hostilities and secure the release of Israeli captives detained in Gaza.
An agreement may potentially involve exchanging several hundred Palestinian captives held by Israel for dozens of hostages While in New York, Biden was questioned on the potential start date of such an agreement. He responded, "My national security advisor tells me that we're close, we're close, we're not done yet. My hope is by next Monday we'll have a ceasefire," Biden stated.
Meeting in Paris over the weekend, representatives from many parties—excluding Hamas, the ruling group in Gaza—"came to an understanding... about what the basic contours of a hostage deal for a temporary ceasefire would look like," White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday.
According to state-affiliated Egyptian media, following the Paris conference, Egyptian, Qatari, and US "experts" convened in Doha in recent days for discussions that were also attended by officials of Israel and Hamas. The goal was to achieve a ceasefire prior to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Israel's military campaign has killed at least 29,782 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the ministry. The war broke out after Hamas launched their unprecedented attack which killed 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. Hamas also took about 250 hostages, 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 31 presumed dead, according to Israel.
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