Israel ready to halt war in Gaza during Ramadan if hostage deal is reached: Biden

President Biden aims for a cease-fire in Gaza during Ramadan, negotiating the release of hostages and prisoners.

United States President Joe Biden said Israel would be willing to halt its war on Hamas in Gaza during the upcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan if a deal is reached to release some of the hostages held by the militants.

Negotiators from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar are working on a framework deal under which Hamas would free some of the dozens of hostages it holds, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a six-week halt in fighting. During the temporary pause, negotiations would continue over the release of the remaining hostages.

There was no immediate Israeli reaction to Mr. Biden’s comments, released for publication early Tuesday.

The start of Ramadan, around March 10, is seen as an unofficial deadline for a cease-fire deal. The month is a time of heightened religious observance and dawn-to-dusk fasting for hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world.

Mr. Biden said Monday that he hopes a cease-fire deal could take effect by next week. During a pause, negotiations would continue over the release of the remaining hostages and the release of additional Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

“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,” Mr. Biden said in an appearance on NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers.

At the same time, Mr. Biden did not call for an end to the war, which was triggered by the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7.