US believes a Gaza ceasefire deal is unlikely during Biden's term: Report

The Wall Street Journal, citing multiple US officials, reports skepticism that a Gaza ceasefire can be reached before January.

US officials believe a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is unlikely before President Joe Biden's term ends in January, according to a report by the *Wall Street Journal*. The report, published on Thursday, cites unnamed senior officials from the White House, State Department, and Pentagon.

One official noted, "No deal is imminent. I’m not sure it ever gets done." Two major hurdles to a ceasefire were identified: the number of Palestinian prisoners Israel must release for each Hamas-held captive and escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

Despite this, Washington has publicly maintained its commitment to pursuing an agreement. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh stated on Thursday, "We do not believe that deal is falling apart," just before the *Wall Street Journal* report surfaced.

Two weeks ago, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that 90 percent of a ceasefire deal had been reached. Washington has been working with Qatar and Egypt for months to mediate a final agreement between Israel and Hamas.

On May 31, President Biden outlined a three-phase ceasefire proposal, which he said Israel had agreed to. The US presidential election is set for November 5, with Vice President Kamala Harris running against Republican candidate Donald Trump.

The conflict escalated almost a year ago when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, killing 1,139 people and capturing more than 200. Israel's retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed over 41,272 Palestinians, injured 95,551, and displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, sparking a hunger crisis and a genocide case at the World Court.