United States President Joe Biden says he hopes to have a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza by next Monday as negotiations to halt hostilities and secure the release of captives appear to gather pace.
Biden’s comments in New York came on Monday as Israeli media reported that an Israeli military delegation had flown to Qatar for intensive talks.
The negotiations – mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the US – seek to secure a six-week-long pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas to allow aid into Gaza, where the United Nations says some 2.3 million people are on the brink of famine.
The proposed pause would also allow for the release of dozens of captives held by Hamas in return for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Biden, when asked when he thought a ceasefire could begin, said he hoped for a truce to take effect within days.
“Well, I hope by the beginning of the weekend, by the end of the week
end,” he told reporters at an ice cream shop in New York. “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.”
The US leader said Israel has agreed to halt military activities in Gaza for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is likely to begin on March 10 and end on April 9. “Ramadan’s coming up, and there’s been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in activities during Ramadan as well, in order to give us time to get all the hostages out,” he said.
Israel has also committed, Biden added, to make it possible for Palestinians to evacuate before its planned assault on Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where 1.4 million people, many of them displaced by war, have sought safety.