Joe Biden hopes for Gaza ceasefire in days as Israelis, Hamas take part in Qatar talks
- Negotiations are under way for a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas
- Pause in hostilities would allow for more exchanges of hostages for prisoners
US President Joe Biden said he hopes to have a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza start by next Monday as the warring parties appeared to close in on a deal during negotiations in Qatar that also aim to broker the release of hostages.
The presence of both sides for so-called proximity talks – meeting mediators separately but in the same city – suggested negotiations were further along than at any time since a big push at the start of February, when Israel rejected a Hamas counter-offer for a four-and-a-half-month truce.
Biden said he hoped a ceasefire would start within days. “Well I hope by the beginning of the weekend, I mean the end of the weekend,” he said, when asked when he expected a ceasefire to start.
“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 on Monday.
A US official said US negotiators had been pushing hard to get a pause-for-hostages deal by Ramadan’s beginning on March 10 and top US officials were working on the issue last week.