A closed-door meeting of spy chiefs, military officials and diplomats late last week – backed up by comments by US president Joe Biden on Monday – renewed hopes of a ceasefire deal amid fierce debates at the United Nations, but observers warned that time was running out to prevent a Israeli offensive on Gaza’s southernmost city.
During a visit to New York, Biden told reporters that he believed a new, temporary ceasefire in Gaza was possible by 4 March, as Hamas was reportedly considering a draft agreement for a 40-day pause in fighting and the exchange of dozens of Israeli hostages for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, according to a Reuters source.
In an interview on
