President Biden said on Monday that he believed negotiators were nearing an agreement that would halt Israel’s military operations in Gaza within a week in exchange for the release of at least some of the more than 100 hostages being held by Hamas.
Speaking with reporters during a stop in New York, Mr. Biden offered the most hopeful assessment of the hostage talks by any major figure in many days, suggesting that the war might be close to reaching a major turning point.
“I hope by the end of the weekend,” he said when asked by reporters when he expected a cease-fire to begin. “My national security adviser tells me that we’re close. We’re close. We’re not done yet. My hope is by next Monday, we’ll have a cease-fire.”
The president’s comments, delivered spontaneously in response to questions during a visit to an ice cream shop after taping a segment on Seth Meyers’s late-night talk show, came amid an active period of talks in the region. Israel’s war cabinet over the weekend approved the broad terms of a deal that would involve a six-week truce for the release of about 40 hostages, and an Israeli delegation planned to meet in Qatar with intermediaries from the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
