UPDATE - Israel would halt war in Gaza during Ramadan if hostage deal reached: Biden

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS FROM US PRESIDENT; REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE

By Diyar Guldogan and Alperen Aktas

WASHINGTON / ISTANBUL (AA) - US President Joe Biden on Monday said that Israel would halt its war in Gaza during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan if a hostage-release deal 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 in an appearance on NBC’s talk show.

Biden also stressed that he hopes a cease-fire will be reached in the Gaza Strip by March 4.

"I hope by the end of the weekend…My national security adviser tells me that we’re close. We’re close. We’re not done yet. My hope is by next Monday we’ll have a cease-fire," Biden told reporters at an ice cream parlor during a campaign visit in New York City.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas, killing at least 29,782 people and causing mass destruction and shortages of necessities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.