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Joe Biden hopes for ceasefire in days as Israelis, Hamas take part in Qatar talks

US official says Americans pushing hard for deal by Ramadan

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip February 27, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Dan Williams, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Jeff Mason

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday he hopes to have a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza start by next Monday as the warring parties appeared to close in on a deal during negotiations in Qatar that also aim to broker the release of hostages.

The presence of both sides for so-called proximity talks - meeting mediators separately but in the same city - suggested negotiations were further along than at any time since a big push at the start of February, when Israel rejected a Hamas counter-offer for a four-and-a-half-month truce.