Biden hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza next Monday: "We are close"

Shutterstock

Joe Biden, stated on Monday that he hopes for a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip by next Monday.

"My National Security Advisor tells me we're close, we're close, but we're not there yet. My hope is that by next Monday, we'll have a ceasefire," said the president to the press in New York.

More: Nikki Haley raises one million dollars in less than 24 hours despite losing the primary election in South Carolina

Biden's National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, had previously mentioned in an interview on CNN on Sunday that the United States, Israel, Egypt, and Qatar had reached an agreement on the "basic outlines" to facilitate a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

Biden made the comment while visiting a New York ice cream shop, holding a cone of chocolate and mint, alongside television host Seth Meyers, whose show "Late Night with Seth Meyers" is celebrating its tenth anniversary.

Earlier, a group of protesters gathered in Rockefeller Center, where Biden attended on Monday to record an interview with the host, to demonstrate against the war in Gaza and call for a ceasefire.

On Monday, sources close to the negotiations in Doha between delegations from Qatar, Egypt, the United States, Israel, and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas told EFE that talks are "progressing" towards agreeing on a hostage exchange in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners.

More: Nikki Haley continues fundraising for her campaign despite defeat in South Carolina

These discussions in Doha come after the round of consultations held on Friday and Saturday in Paris between Israel, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar to define the terms of a new agreement.

Since the war began, Israel and Hamas have only reached a one-week ceasefire agreement at the end of November, which allowed for the release of 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.