US President Joe Biden has said that he is hopeful of a ceasefire coming into place by next Monday as warring parties Israel and Hamas appear close to an agreement, Reuters reported.
Biden hoped for the ceasefire to start soon. “Well I hope by the beginning of the weekend, by the end of the weekend,” he said.
“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,” he added.
Negotiations for a ceasefire started February, when Israel rejected a Hamas counter-offer for a four-and-a-half-month truce. Negotiators are seeking a six-week halt to the fighting and the release of Israeli hostages.
Though both Israel and Hamas continued to take positions far apart on a possible truce, there has been headway made on the issue.
According to media reports, a deal could include the release of several hundred Palestinian detainees held by Israel.
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas after meeting Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said that his group had embraced efforts to find an end to the war, but he wasn’t sure of Israel.
“We will not allow the enemy to use negotiations as a cover for this crime,” he said.
Israel has already said that it is ready for a deal, but the demands put forth by Hamas were not feasible.
In an interview with Fox News, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Obviously, we want this deal if we can have it. It depends on Hamas. It’s really now their decision. They have to come down to reality.”
The Israeli government has been under increasing pressure from its main ally the United States to agree on a truce. The proposed Israeli offensive in Rafah has not found support from Washington as there is fear that it could become a bloodbath.
Tel Aviv however insisted that the assault on Rafah was still in the pipeline.
