US President Joe Biden said Israel and Hamas were “very close” to an agreement. Speaking at the White House on Tuesday morning, he said Washington had been “working on this intensively for weeks” and “we’re now very close, very close”.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday forcefully denounced the reported rape and sexual violence against Israeli girls and women by Hamas militants following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, calling on the world to condemn such conduct “without equivocation” and “without exception.

U.S. President Joe Biden is relying on a small group of veteran advisers to help navigate the Israel-Hamas conflict that has killed thousands, split Western allies and risks spiraling into a wider war.