Joe Biden: Gaza ceasefire deal ‘closer than ever’ as talks paused

16 August 2024, 23:28 | Updated: 16 August 2024, 23:56

A ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel is “closer than we’ve ever been”, President Joe Biden said on Friday.

Israel, the US and Iran have been locked in talks this week in a bid to find a solution to the growing tensions across the Middle East.

Speaking on Friday, President Biden suggested a ceasefire agreement, which would likely include the return of all Israeli hostages captured on October 7, could be on the horizon.

But, speaking from the White House, he warned an agreement was "not there yet."

"I don't want to jinx anything... we may have something," Mr Biden told reporters from the White House's Oval Office.

He added: "But we're not there yet.

"It's much, much closer than it was three days ago. So, keep your fingers crossed."

Sources close to the talks are “cautiously optimistic” a deal might be agreed in the coming days, Sky News reports.

On Friday, a joint statement by the US, Qatar and Egypt described talks as "serious and constructive and conducted in a positive atmosphere.

"Senior officials from our governments will reconvene in Cairo before the end of next week with the aim to conclude the deal under the terms put forward today," the statement continued.

Since the attack in late 2023, Israel has waged an assault on Gaza, killing over 40,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Earlier this week, US officials are believed to have told Israel that it cannot achieve anything more with its military campaign in Gaza.

Several US officials warned that Israel would never be able to eradicate Hamas completely, despite that being one of Benjamin Netanyahu's stated war aims.

The officials told the New York Times that the US believed a deal was the way to secure the release of the remaining hostages, rather than continued military action, in a war that has already killed 40,000, according to the Hamas-linked health ministry.

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But they added that Israel had managed to reduce Hamas' capabilities significantly more than they had expected.

A former top US military official said: "Israel has been able to disrupt Hamas, kill a number of their leaders and largely reduce the threat to Israel that existed before October 7".

In response, the IDF said that it was "committed to achieving the goals of the war to dismantle Hamas and bring home our hostages, and will continue to operate with determination to achieve them."