Israel has agreed to halt its Gaza attacks for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, US President Joe Biden said, adding that he hoped a temporary ceasefire will take hold next week as Hamas reviewed a truce deal that includes a prisoner-hostage swap.
Biden's remarks, which were recorded on Monday and were due to be broadcast later on Tuesday, come as negotiators try and hammer out a truce deal in the conflict which has raged since October last year.
A senior source close to the talks told news agency Reuters that the group was studying a draft proposal that includes allowing in a significant amount of humanitarian aid, as well as swapping Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages captured in the Hamas attack on October 7.
US and Israeli officials discussed a ceasefire proposal last week with Qatari and Egyptian mediators at a meeting in Paris. Delegations from Hamas and Israel are both in Qatar this week for so-called proximity talks, held in the same city through mediators.
The proposal is the most serious attempt in weeks to halt the Israeli assault, and comes ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and with international pressure mounting on Israel to stop the killing of Palestinian civilians. Ramadan this year is expected to begin on the evening of March 10th.