By Tara Prindiville and Megan Lebowitz -
NBC News
President Joe Biden declared this Monday that he hopes there will be a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas by next week.
"My hope is that by next Monday we will have a ceasefire," Biden said in response to a reporter's question while in New York City.
"My national security advisor tells me that
we are close
, close but we have not yet finalized it," he added.
President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House, February 23, 2024. Evan Vucci / AP
Biden's remarks come as the White House has been working on ceasefire negotiations amid growing pressure from progressives and allies of the Palestinians.
NBC News had previously reported that Qatar has been mediating talks between Israel and Hamas this week, and ceasefire negotiations have been held between US, Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian officials in Paris.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that representatives
"came to an understanding"
about what "the basic contours of a temporary ceasefire agreement" would look like.
"There will have to be indirect discussions by Qatar and Egypt with Hamas, because ultimately they will have to agree to release the hostages," Sullivan said during an interview with CNN, although he declined to divulge specific details because the deal was still being negotiated.
"That work is underway, and we hope that in the coming days we can get to a point where there really is a firm and final agreement on this issue, but we will have to wait and see."
The Israeli Army plans a ground offensive in Rafah, where about 1.5 million people are sheltered.
Early Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the military has proposed a plan to evacuate civilians.
Yoav Gallant, Israeli Defense Minister, stated earlier Monday that if there was a temporary ceasefire, Israel would "continue fighting until the last hostage returns."
The war began on October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel and
claimed the lives of 1,200 people
, with another 200 kidnapped, according to the Israeli government.
Nearly
30,00 people have died in Gaza
since then, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
During a previous truce in the week ending December 1, more than 100 hostages in Gaza were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.