Biden says hopes there will be Gaza ceasefire next Monday
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In a statement, the US President states that he is optimistic about a ceasefire agreement being reached by Monday.
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President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House, on February 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP)
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, informed reporters that he is optimistic that a deal regarding the release of captives and a ceasefire between "Israel" and Hamas will be reached by next Monday.
"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 on Monday.
His statement comes after the Israeli delegation returned early on Saturday from Paris after receiving an "updated framework" proposal regarding a prisoner-captive exchange in return for a "temporary ceasefire," which was formulated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt.
The new development comes as the occupation entity declared plans to invade densely-populated Rafah amid international objection against plans to attack the small city housing over 1.4 million people.
According to Axios, the agreement was reached during a meeting with senior representatives from the US, Qatar, Egypt, and the occupation entity.
No details were provided on the introduced modifications, but the report said "progress was made" citing two officials familiar with the matter.
On Friday, Hamas confirmed that a delegation from the movement, led by the head of the political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, concluded its visit to Egypt, which lasted for several days.
The movement mentioned in a statement that the delegation met with the head of the Egyptian intelligence service, Abbas Kamel, and his assistants, where they discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip, the cessation of the Israeli aggression, the return of refugees, and relief and shelter.
According to Hamas, the delegation also addressed the prisoner exchange file and "Israel's" plan regarding limiting access to al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
