‘By next Monday we will have a ceasefire’: US President Biden on Israel-Hamas conflict world News
US President Joe Biden highlighted that he expects a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict by “next Monday”, CNN reported.
He further said that we are close to it but it is not complete yet.
“Well, I hope by the beginning of the weekend, I mean, by the end of the weekend,” Biden said when asked when the ceasefire could begin.
Biden said, “My national security adviser tells me we are close. We are close, it’s not done yet. And my expectation is that by next Monday we will have a ceasefire.”
Earlier on Monday, according to CNN, Hamas backed down on some key demands in negotiations for a hostage deal and halted fighting in Gaza following Israeli accusations that its position was “illusory”.
According to two sources familiar with the discussions, it brought the negotiating sides closer to a preliminary agreement that could lead to a halt to the fighting and the release of a group of Israeli hostages.
Following a meeting in Paris between the US, Egyptian and Israeli intelligence chiefs and the Qatari prime minister, a senior Biden administration official said “key obstacles were resolved in the context of Hamas insisting on the full withdrawal of Israeli forces Is.” End of the war.”
“Hamas’s requirements regarding the number of Palestinians (prisoners) to be released have declined,” the official said. Meanwhile, a diplomatic source familiar with the discussions said Hamas has softened its position ahead of agreement on the first phase of the deal, according to CNN.
However, it is expected that more challenging obstacles will emerge later when complex issues such as the release of male IDF hostages by Hamas and the end of the war are discussed. Additionally, people involved in the discussions said that an agreement would be implemented in several phases and once an initial agreement is reached, a six-week ceasefire could be followed with the release of a group of Israeli hostages, including women. Is. In exchange for children, the elderly and the sick, Hamas was given a smaller number of Palestinian prisoners than initially demanded.
According to CNN, the second phase is where discussions are expected to become even more complex. Reportedly, Israeli leaders have made it clear that they intend to launch a military offensive in Rafah, while in an earlier resolution, Hamas had stated that they were “necessary to continue the mutual cessation of military operations.” Want to use the second step to discuss “requirements”. ,
Earlier on Sunday, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the Paris meeting resulted in “an understanding between all four of them as to what the basic framework of a hostage agreement for a temporary ceasefire would look like.”
“Qatar and Egypt will have to have indirect discussions with Hamas because ultimately they will have to agree to release the hostages. This is a work in progress. And we hope that in the coming days, we can reach a point where actually A firm and final agreement on this issue. But we will have to wait and see,” he said.