Cease-fire in Gaza could come as early as this weekend says Joe Biden

Joe Biden’s remark that fighting in Gaza could stop this coming weekend is the most detailed timeline to date from the White House on a ceasefire.

Joe Biden says a ceasefire is possible by the end of this weekend. Picture: AFP.

President Biden has said that fighting in Gaza could stop as early as this coming weekend, the most detailed timeline to date from the White House on a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.

Travelling in New York City for a campaign event, the president responded to a question from a reporter about the negotiations and when a pause might begin. “I hope by the end of the weekend,” Biden said.

The president added that his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told him: “We’re close.” “My national security adviser tells me that we’re close, we’re close, we’re not done yet,” said Biden. “My hope is by next Monday we’ll have a ceasefire.” It was unclear if the remarks represented any breakthrough in the talks. A White House National Security Council spokesperson declined to comment.

Answering a question about a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, US President, Joe Biden: "I hope by the beginning of the weekend. I mean the end of the weekend. At least my national security advisor tells me that we're close. I'm hoping that next Monday we'll have a ceasefire." pic.twitter.com/62Sv2Ae4NT

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) February 26, 2024

Biden’s comments come on the eve of the Michigan primary, where pro-Palestinian activists and young voters have made a major push for voters to select “uncommitted” rather than cast a ballot for the president. The effort is intended to register disapproval with Biden’s pro-Israel stance.

Biden faces little competition for the Democratic presidential nomination, but a large showing from the uncommitted camp would demonstrate the strength of the anti-war movement that is riling his own party. Michigan is one of a handful of swing states that will determine the outcome of the general election. Biden won the state by nearly 3 percentage points in 2020, but recent polls give former President Donald Trump an edge in a potential rematch. Given how close the election is expected to be, a small defection of voters or a depressed turnout of the Democratic base in the state could tilt the outcome.

Negotiators are scrambling to broker a ceasefire to avoid more civilian casualties and prevent the conflict from further spreading across the region. Mediators hope to reach a deal that would help avert an Israeli ground operation in Rafah, on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt. Rafah now shelters more than a million displaced Palestinians.

Israeli officials have set a deadline of the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, around March 10, for Hamas to release hostages the group seized during the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel that killed some 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities.

More than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its offensive, according to Palestinian health authorities, most of them women and children. The numbers don’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Dow Jones