Biden: Israel willing to halt war during Ramadan if hostage deal reached

President Biden suggested Israel will be willing to halt its war in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but only if a deal to release hostages held by Hamas is reached.

“Ramadan’s coming up and there has been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in activities during Ramadan as well, in order to give us time to get all the hostages out,” Biden said Monday on NBC’s “Late Night With Seth Meyers.”

As concerns have risen globally over Israel’s potential invasion of the southern city of Rafah in Gaza — where many Palestinians have sheltered there among the war — Ramadan, which begins March 10, is perceived as an unofficial deal deadline.

Biden, however, said he thinks Israel has decelerated the bombardment of Rafah, according to The Associated Press.

“They have to and they have made a commitment to me that they’re going to see to it that there’s an ability to evacuate significant portions of Rafah before they go and take out the remainder Hamas,” the president said. “But it’s a process.”

Israeli officials were surprised by his comments and said they did not come in coordination with leadership, per the AP. A Hamas official also deemphasized any feeling of progress and said the group would not lessen its demands, the news wire reported.

Earlier Monday, during a visit to New York, Biden signaled to reporters that a cease-fire in Gaza could start even earlier, pointing to talks that include Israel, the U.S. Egypt, Qatar and Hamas and the proximity to a deal.

“My national security adviser tells me that we’re close, we’re close, we’re not done yet,” he said Monday,” the president told reporters Monday. “My hope is by next Monday, we’ll have a cease-fire.”

If a deal is reached, the six-week pause in fighting would allow for the release of more hostages from Hamas control and open the door for more humanitarian aid to enter the region.

Still, Israeli officials who spoke to the AP anonymously claimed the Palestinian militant group’s demands may be too excessive — despite Israel wanting a deal.

According to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, the Israeli campaign in the territory has killed more than 29,700 people in the region, the majority of them being women and children. The count does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.

About 130 hostages remain in Hamas control, but Israel said nearly a quarter of them are dead, per the wire.

The Associated Press contributed.