Biden's comments came as a surprise to Israeli officials, while Hamas cast doubt on the prospect of an imminent deal.
President Joe Biden’s claim Monday that a temporary cease-fire deal is “close” and could take effect as soon as next week reportedly took Israel’s leadership by surprise and was quickly downplayed by Hamas officials, who said there were still major disputes between the two sides on key issues. Biden told NBC’s Seth Meyers that Israeli negotiators have agreed “that they would not engage in...
