President Joe Biden said Monday that he hopes there will be a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war by next week.
“My hope is by next Monday we will have a cease-fire,” Biden said in response to a reporter’s question while he was in New York City.
“My national security advisor tells me that we’re close, close but not done yet,” he said.
The president’s comments come as Israel’s military is planning a ground offensive in Rafah, where about 1.5 million people are taking refuge. Earlier on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the military has proposed a plan for evacuating civilians.
During a previous weeklong truce that ended on Dec. 1, more than 100 hostages held in Gaza were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Caryn Littler and Elyse Perlmutter-Gumbiner contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
