Biden hopeful for Israel-Hamas cease-fire within a week

President Joe Biden told reporters on Monday that a cease-fire between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas could be just days away, paving the way for the release of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. “My national security advisor tells me we’re close, we’re close,” Biden said. “We’re not done yet. My hope is by next Monday, we’ll have a cease-fire.” The president made the comments while in New York to record an appearance for a late-night talk show.

What negotiations are taking place? Top officials from Israel, the Palestinian Authority or PA, Egypt, and the United States met Monday in Aqaba, Jordan. The five-country talks yielded a document, the Aqaba Communique, “with commitments by the Government of Israel and the PA to de-escalate and prevent further violence,” U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement. Israel and the PA agreed to “pursue confidence-building measures and strengthen mutual trust in order to address outstanding issues through direct dialogue,” according to the communique.

Dig deeper: Read Jill Nelson’s report in WORLD Magazine about Hamas’ mass murder gambit.