Biden said he “hopes” for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas during Ramadan.
Washington:
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday he was “hopeful” to reach a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but a deal was still not finalized.
Asked whether he expected a deal to be reached during Ramadan, which begins on March 10 or 11, he told reporters at the White House: “I hope so, we’re still working hard. But we’re not there yet.” , depends on the lunar calendar.
“We’ll get there, but we’re not there yet — we may not get there,” Biden added, without elaborating, as he headed for a helicopter trip to the president’s Camp David resort for the weekend.
Biden said earlier this week that he expected to reach a deal by Monday to halt fighting between Israel and Hamas for six weeks, but he has gradually pushed back the timeline.
The 81-year-old Democrat announced earlier on Friday that the United States would soon begin airdropping aid to Gaza, a day after dozens of desperate Palestinians were killed in aid convoys.
Biden said the incident could complicate negotiations but would not comment on Friday on what was holding up a deal, adding: “I’m not going to tell you that because that would get into the negotiations.”
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