Washington: President Joe Biden has said that he hopes there will be a ceasefire by “next Monday” in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. On being asked when a ceasefire may begin, Biden said during an appearance at an ice cream shop in New York city on Monday, February 26, with comedian Seth Meyers, “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 added.
Hamas previously backed off some important demands in hostage negotiations and pause in fighting inGaza after Israel accused its position of being “delusional,” CNN reported. “The major obstacles have been resolved in terms of Hamas insisting on a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and end to the war,” a senior Biden administration official said. “Hamas’ requirements for the numbers of Palestinians [prisoners that] would have to be freed has declined.”
Biden recently also took to X to say that the majority of “overwhelming”Palestinians are not Hamas, and said they too are suffering as a result of Hamas’ terrorism. He reiterated a bit of what he said in his initial statement on the conflict after the October 7 attack. “I won’t mince words,” he wrote. “The overwhelming majority of Palestinians are not Hamas. And Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people. In fact, they’re also suffering as a result of Hamas’ terrorism. We need to be clear-eyed about that reality.”
Biden had issued a statement following the first Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, saying in part, “This attack has brought to the surface painful memories and the scars left by millennia of antisemitism and genocide of the Jewish people. So, in this moment, we must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel. And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself, and respond to this attack. There is no justification for terrorism. There is no excuse.”
“Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination. Its stated purpose is the annihilation of the State of Israel and the murder of Jewish people,” he added. “They use Palestinian civilians as human shields. Hamas offers nothing but terror and bloodshed with no regard to who pays the price.”
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