Biden Tempers Gaza Ceasefire Hopes as Talks Complicated by Deadly Humanitarian Aid Incident

Biden Tempers Gaza Ceasefire Hopes as Talks Complicated by Deadly Humanitarian Aid Incident
President Joe Biden walks across the South Lawn before boarding the Marine One presidential helicopter and departing the White House in Washington on Feb. 29, 2024. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Ryan Morgan
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President Joe Biden expressed doubt on Thursday that a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict is just days away, tempering his own prior predictions amid recent diplomatic complications.

Speaking with reporters while visiting an ice cream shop in New York on Monday, the president expressed high hopes for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, saying, “My hope is by next Monday we'll have a ceasefire.” By Thursday afternoon, the president’s tone had shifted.