Joe Biden hopes for a ceasefire in the coming days.
US President Joe Biden said on Monday, February 26, that Israel and Hamas are closer to concluding a ceasefire before next Monday – March 4 – during talks in Qatar.
Reuters writes about this.
Israel and Hamas reached an agreement during negotiations in Qatar, which also aims to free the hostages.
“I hope by the start of the weekend, before the end of the weekend… My National Security Advisor tells me we're close. We're close. We're not done yet. I hope by next Monday we we will achieve a truce,” Biden told reporters during a visit to New York.
However, publicly, Israel and Hamas continue to take different positions regarding a possible truce. Israel continues to say it will not end the war until Hamas is destroyed, and Hamas says it will not release the hostages without an agreement to end the war.
At the same time, American officials said that the United States was persistently seeking an agreement to delay the release of the hostages until the start of Ramadan on March 10.
After a meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, fugitive Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said that his group welcomes the efforts of mediators to find ways to end the war. At the same time, he accused Israel of playing for time while Gazans die under siege.
“We will not allow the enemy to use negotiations as a cover for this crime,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel is ready for an agreement, but now it is up to Hamas, which must “understand reality”, “give up demands” that he called “beyond the bounds” and “with another planet.”
Recall that in the US, a military man set himself on fire near the Israeli Embassy – new details have emerged.
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