Joe Biden believes a deal to release the Gaza hostage is close

President Joe Biden indicated on Monday that he believes a deal is close to being reached to secure the release of some of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

“I believe so”, President Biden told the media at the White House.

On October 7, Hamas went on a murderous cross-border rampage into Israel, prompting Israel to invade the tiny Palestinian territory to eliminate the Islamist militant group.

According to Israeli estimates, the Hamas attack killed over 1,200 people, the majority of whom were civilians, making it the worst day in Israel’s 75-year-old history.

Since then, Gaza’s Hamas-run government has claimed that Israel’s shelling has killed at least 13,000 Palestinians, including at least 5,500 children.

Despite the continuous fighting, Israel hopes that a sizable number of captives held by Hamas will be freed in the coming days, according to Michael Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to the United States.

Also read: Hamas government: Gaza death toll exceeds 13300, with over 5600 children killed