US President Joe Biden stated that he hopes for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict by “next Monday,” according to The Ultimate News.
He went on to say that we are almost there, but it is not yet complete.
“Well, I hope by the beginning of the weekend, I mean, the end of the weekend,” Biden said when asked when a cease-fire could begin.
“My national security adviser tells me we’re getting close. We’re getting close, but it’s not quite done. And my hope is that by next Monday, we’ll have a ceasefire,” Biden said.
According to The Ultimate News, Hamas backed down on some key demands in hostage negotiations and halted fighting in Gaza on Monday in response to Israeli accusations that its position was “delusional”.
According to two sources familiar with the discussions, it brought the negotiating parties closer to reaching an initial agreement that could halt the fighting and free a group of Israeli hostages.
Following a meeting in Paris between US, Egyptian, and Israeli intelligence chiefs and Qatar’s prime minister, a senior Biden administration official stated, “The major obstacles have been resolved in terms of Hamas insisting on a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end to the war.”
“Hamas’ requirements for the number of Palestinians (prisoners that) would have to be freed have declined,” the official went on to say. Meanwhile, a diplomatic source familiar with the discussions told The Ultimate News that Hamas softened its position ahead of an agreement on the first phase of the deal.
However, more difficult obstacles are expected to emerge later when complex issues such as Hamas releasing male IDF hostages and ending the war are discussed. Furthermore, those involved in the discussions stated that an agreement would most likely be implemented in stages, and that once an initial deal is reached, it could lead to a six-week truce with the release of a group of Israeli hostages, including women and children, the elderly and the sick, in exchange for fewer Palestinian prisoners than Hamas had originally requested.
According to The Ultimate News, the second phase of discussions is expected to become even more complicated. According to reports, Israeli leaders intend to launch a military offensive in Rafah, whereas Hamas previously proposed using a second phase to discuss “the requirements necessary for the continuation of the mutual cessation of military operations.”
Earlier on Sunday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that the Paris meeting yielded “an understanding among the four of them about what the basic contours of a hostage deal for a temporary ceasefire would look like.”
“Qatar and Egypt will have to engage in indirect discussions with Hamas because they will eventually have to agree to release the hostages. That work is currently underway. We hope that in the coming days, we can reach a firm and final agreement on this issue. But we’ll have to wait and see,” he explained.