US President Joe Biden Says He Is Hoping for Ceasefire in Gaza by Next Monday – News18

US President Joe Biden said he hopes there will be a ceasefire in the Gaza war by “next Monday”. “Well I hope by the beginning of the weekend, I mean, the end of the weekend. My national security adviser tells me that we’re close. We’re close, it’s not done yet. And my hope is that by next Monday we’ll have a ceasefire,” Biden said while speaking to comedian Seth Meyers during an appearance on Monday at an ice cream shop in New York City.

A separate report by CNN said Hamas backed off some key demand during the negotiations for the hostage release and Gaza war ceasefire after Israel accused the terrorist group of making “delusional” demands.

Due to this, the negotiating parties came closer to an initial agreement which could see the fighting halted and a group of hostages released. “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 numbers of Palestinians [prisoners that] would have to be freed has declined,” a US official told the news broadcaster last week after a meeting between the US, Egyptian, Israeli intelligence chiefs and the Qatari prime minister in Paris.

The broadcaster citing a person familiar with the developments said Hamas softened its stance ahead of the agreement on the first part of a deal. The people mentioned above said they expect more challenges to emerge later when tougher issues like release of male IDF hostages from Hamas captivity and end to the Gaza war will be discussed.

Those participating in the discussions have indicated that a potential agreement would likely be rolled out in stages. The initial deal might result in a ceasefire lasting up to six weeks. It could involve the release of certain Israeli hostages, such as women, children, the elderly, and the sick, in exchange for a smaller number of Palestinian prisoners compared to Hamas’ initial demands.