US President Joe Biden was asked today (Thursday) about his statement this week that there would be a ceasefire agreement by this coming Monday at the latest and said that after talking with leaders in the region, he understood that it would take longer.
"I'm talking to leaders in the region. Maybe it will take a little longer," he said as he left the White House.
In addition, the President said that the incident his morning in which dozens of Gazans were trampled as they swarmed trucks delivering aid to the northern Gaza Strip would "complicate" the talks in Paris.
The White House said that prior to Biden's remarks, the American President spoke with the Emir of Qatar and the President of Egypt.
On Monday, Biden said, "I hope by the beginning of the weekend. The end of the weekend. My national security adviser tells me that they’re close. They’re close. They’re not done yet. My hope is by next Monday we’ll have a ceasefire.”