Gaza cease-fire

Biden suggests Gaza cease-fire could take hold by next week

A pause in the Israel-Hamas war could help the release of hostages and more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

By ELI STOKOLS

President Joe Biden on Monday evening said he thought a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas could be in place in roughly a week.

“I hope by the end of the weekend,” Biden told reporters who asked about the time frame. He spoke while visiting a midtown Manhattan ice cream shop with NBC’s Seth Meyers after taping an appearance on his late night show.

“My national security adviser tells me that we’re close, we’re close, we’re not done yet,” Biden continued. “My hope is by next Monday we’ll have a cease-fire.”

Biden, in recent weeks, has pushed harder for a pause in the fighting in order to enable additional humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza and to allow for the release of Israeli hostages.

Biden’s comments came amid ongoing talks between the U.S., Israel, Egypt and Qatar over a six-week pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

“It is our priority to move forward with a temporary cease-fire,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters earlier Monday aboard Air Force One on the way to New York.

Biden has said that he’s hopeful a temporary pause could be the foundation of a more lasting end to the violence that has overtaken Gaza following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack that left more than 1,000 Israelis dead.

Pro-Palestinian protesters had congregated earlier in the day around NBC studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in anticipation of Biden’s appearance there — an appearance that the White House opted not to confirm until the taping with Meyers was underway, largely due to concerns over security.