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US President, Joe Biden, said on Thursday he has not lost hope of getting agreement on a Gaza ceasefire but called on the Palestinian Hamas group to step up, Reuters reports.
Biden, asked if he was confident there will be a ceasefire deal between Hamas in Israel soon, he said, “No,” adding, “I haven’t lost hope, but it’s going to be tough.”
“Hamas has … to move,” he told reporters.
Negotiators from the US, Egypt and Qatar have tried for months to mediate a ceasefire in the conflict – which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and devastated the heavily populated enclave – and free hostages taken from Israel in October, more than 100 of whom are believed to remain captive in Gaza.
READ: Hamas seeking US guarantees in Gaza ceasefire plan, sources say