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Joe Biden told reporters Monday he expects Israel and Hamas to reach a deal this weekend for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip—a deal he expects would pause hostilities as early as March 4.
A deal is yet to be finalized, but Biden says the two sides are close to reaching an agreement that could go into effect early next week.
“My national security adviser tells me that they’re close,” Biden said while stopping to get ice cream with late-night host Seth Myers ahead of an appearance on his show. “They’re close—they’re not done yet. My hope is by next Monday we’ll have a ceasefire.”