Current:Home > MarketsBiden says he hopes for Israel-Hamas cease-fire by Monday -FutureFinance
Biden says he hopes for Israel-Hamas cease-fire by Monday
View
Date:2025-04-12 03:28:13
Washington — President Biden said Monday that a deal between Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire in Gaza is close.
"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 cease-fire," Mr. Biden told reporters during a stop in New York City.
Mr. Biden said earlier this month that the U.S. was working to negotiate a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas that would pause fighting in Gaza for at least six weeks. He said the deal would "bring an immediate and sustained period of calm to Gaza for at least six weeks, which we could then take the time to build something more enduring."
In an appearance that aired early Tuesday on NBC's "Late Night With Seth Meyers," the president said Israel would be willing to pause its assault during Ramadan if a deal is reached. The Muslim holy month begins around March 10.
"Ramadan's coming up and there has been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in activities during Ramadan as well, in order to give us time to get all the hostages out," Mr. Biden said.
Mr. Biden, who has supported Israel's right to respond to the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas, has increasingly sharpened his criticism of Israel, calling its military operations in Gaza "over the top."
In early February, as Israel prepared for a ground operation in Rafah, a city near Egypt's border where more than one million displaced Palestinians are estimated to have taken refuge after fleeing fighting elsewhere in Gaza, Mr. Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to proceed without a "credible" plan for ensuring the safety of the people sheltering there.
Netanyahu told "Face the Nation" on Sunday that a hostage deal would delay the Rafah operation, but said Israel would still move ahead with the operation at a later time.
"We can't leave the last Hamas stronghold without taking care of it, obviously, we have to do it," Netanyahu said. "But understand, too, that I've asked the army to submit to me a double plan, first to evacuate to enable the evacuation of the Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and, obviously, second, to destroy the remaining Hamas battalions."
"That gets us a real distance towards the completion of our victory, and that we're not going to give it up," he continued. "If we have a deal, it'll be delayed somewhat. But it'll happen. If we don't have a deal, we'll do it anyway. It has to be done. Because total victory is our goal, and total victory is within reach. Not months away, weeks away once we begin the operation."
- In:
- Hamas
- Israel
- Joe Biden
- Gaza Strip
- Benjamin Netanyahu
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at cbsnews.com and is based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.
TwitterveryGood! (1)
Related
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- AP Was There: A 1974 tornado in Xenia, Ohio, kills 32 and levels half the city
- Biden administration approves the nation’s eighth large offshore wind project
- The EPA Cleaned Up the ‘Valley of the Drums’ Outside Louisville 45 Years Ago. Why Did it Leave the ‘Gully of the Drums’ Behind?
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Larry Lucchino, force behind retro ballpark revolution and drought-busting Red Sox, dies at 78
- A 12-year-old suspected of killing a classmate and wounding 2 in Finland told police he was bullied
- Germany changes soccer team jerseys over Nazi symbolism concerns
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- Women's March Madness ticket prices jump as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese rise to stardom
Ranking
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- 'I've been waiting for this': LEGO Houses, stores to be sensory inclusive by end of April
- Mega Millions winning numbers in April 2 drawing: Jackpot climbs to $67 million
- Coachella & Stagecoach 2024 Packing Guide: Problem-Solving Beauty Products You Need To Beat the Heat
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Ex-police officer gets 200 hours community service for campaign scheme to help New York City mayor
- North Carolina redistricting attorney who fell short in federal confirmation fight dies at 69
- Minnesota Twins' Byron Buxton nearly gets run over by bratwurst in Milwaukee Brewers' sausage race
Recommendation
What to watch: O Jolie night
5 tourists killed in case of mistaken identity in Ecuador while 9 shot dead is separate attack: The battle continues
Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Oprah and More Celebs Who’ve Reached the Billionaire Milestone
Nicki Minaj delivers spectacle backed up by skill on biggest tour of her career: Review
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
Trump posts $175 million bond in New York fraud case
US Rep. Lauren Boebert recovering from blood clot surgery
Trump sues two Trump Media co-founders, seeking to void their stock in the company