OAN’s Brooke Mallory
1:59 PM – Thursday, February 29, 2024
A ceasefire deal in the Israel-Hamas conflict will “most likely” not be reached by Monday, as President Joe Biden expressed doubts about it on Thursday even though he recently asserted that a deal would be agreed upon by the beginning of next week.
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“Hope springs eternal,” Biden told reporters when asked if he still expected an agreement by Monday. “I was on the telephone with the people in the region,” he continued, adding: “Probably not by Monday, but I’m hopeful.”
In order to address hostage negotiations and the general situation in Gaza, Biden had separate discussions with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Thursday morning.
The White House stated that Hamas should free all of its hostages, emphasizing that doing so “would result in an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza over a period of at least six weeks.”
“They exchanged views on how such a prolonged period of calm could then be built into something more enduring,” the White House said. “They also discussed planning to surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza and how the ceasefire under the hostage deal would further help enable those efforts and ensure that assistance reached civilians in need throughout Gaza.”
Earlier this week, while visiting New York, Biden told reporters, “My national security adviser tells me that we’re close—close but not done yet.”
When asked if that was still the expectation during a press briefing at the White House on Wednesday, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, vaguely responded that the government is “working around the clock to get that done.” According to her, an agreement would allow for the delivery of further humanitarian supplies to Gaza as well as the release of American prisoners so they could go back to the U.S. and their families.
This week, Qatar has mediated talks between Israel and Hamas. In addition, discussions concerning a “possible” future cease-fire have taken place in Paris with officials from the United States, Israel, Qatar, and Egypt.
A large gathering of people waiting for humanitarian relief vehicles on Thursday added to the chaos in the Gaza Strip. Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, a representative for the Palestinian Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, stated that at least 100 people had died and several others had been injured.
However, the IDF also posted about the incident.
A representative for Biden’s National Security Council responded to the incident on Thursday by stating that the White House is investigating the reports.
“We mourn the loss of innocent life and recognize the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where innocent Palestinians are just trying to feed their families,” the spokesperson said. “This underscores the importance of expanding and sustaining the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including through a potential temporary cease-fire. We continue to work day and night to achieve that outcome.”
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