US President Joe Biden stated Friday that he was “hoping” for a ceasefire accord in the Israel-Hamas war by the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but no agreement had been reached. “I’m hoping so, we’re still working real hard on it. We’re not there yet,” he told reporters at the White House when asked if he expected a deal by Ramadan, which will start on March 10 or 11, depending 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 to his helicopter to spend the weekend at the presidential Camp David retreat.
Biden had stated earlier this week that he expected a settlement to be reached by Monday
Biden had stated earlier this week that he expected a settlement to be reached by Monday for a six-week pause in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, but he has since pushed back the deadline. The 81-year-old Democrat vowed earlier Friday that the United States would soon begin airdropping aid into Gaza, a day after dozens of desperate Palestinians were killed while rushing an aid convoy. Biden has stated that the event might complicate talks, but he declined to comment on what was impeding an agreement on Friday, saying, “I’m not going to tell you that because that’ll get involved in the negotiations.”
