Biden hopes Gaza ceasefire will be in place by next week

US has been working with Egypt and Qatar to broker deal that would lead Hamas to release all hostages in exchange for extended pause in fighting

US President Joe Biden said he hopes the ceasefire will be in place by March 4, about a week before the start of Ramadan. AP

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

US President Joe Biden said on Monday that he hopes there will be a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war in place by "the end of the weekend".

“My National Security Adviser [Jake Sullivan] tells me that we're close … we're not done yet,” he said during a visit to New York.

The US has been working with Egypt and Qatar to broker an agreement that would lead to Hamas releasing the remaining hostages in exchange for an extended pause in fighting.

An earlier proposal by the three sides was rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Hamas made a counter-offer that he called “delusional”.

The US earlier vetoed a UN Security Council resolution, tabled by Algeria, that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Washington gave continuing negotiations with Cairo and Doha over a deal to enact a pause in the fighting as its reason.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Netanyahu’s office said that the Israeli army had presented to the war cabinet its operational plan for a ground offensive into Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost town.

About 1.4 million Palestinians have sought safety in the city, which is on the border with Egypt.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped 240 in southern Israel on October 7, according to Israeli figures.

More than 29,700 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to health authorities in the enclave.

Latest from the Israel-Gaza war – in pictures

Displaced Palestinians hold a white flag as they pass an Israeli tank position while fleeing the Hamad Town district of Khan Younis. Bloomberg

A Palestinian woman cuts material to be used for sewing nappies at a workshop in Rafah. AFP

Smoke rises following an explosion in Gaza, as seen from southern Israel. AP

Parachutes carrying relief for Palestinians drop from an Egyptian Air Force cargo plane over central Gaza. Bloomberg

A Palestinian boy who is suffering from malnutrition is treated at a healthcare centre amid widespread hunger. Reuters

Palestinian children attend an English class in the library of the school housing displaced people in Rafah, the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

An UNRWA-run school housing displaced Palestinians in Rafah. AFP

Palestinians search for bodies and survivors in the rubble of a residential building destroyed in an Israeli air strike in Rafah. AP

A wounded Palestinian man who lost his wife and daughter walks past a neighbours' house destroyed by Israeli bombing in Rafah. AFP

An injured man is rescued from the rubble after an Israeli air strike on the Rafah camp in Gaza. EPA

Palestinians walk amid the rubble of houses destroyed by the Israeli bombardment of Gaza city. AFP

Aid is dropped into Gaza from US military aircraft. Reuters

Palestinians gather at air lorries in Gaza. More than 100 were killed when Israeli troops opened fire. AP

The sun sets behind destroyed buildings in Gaza. AFP

A Palestinian man enters a heavily damaged house following an Israeli strike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

A wounded Palestinian is assisted at the site of an Israeli strike in Deir Al Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. Reuters

Palestinians gather in the hope of getting bags of flour carried by air lorries near an Israeli checkpoint in Gaza city, as the enclave's residents face crisis levels of hunger. Reuters

Palestinian children wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues in Gaza. Reuters

A displaced Palestinian child holds a crying baby in a camp in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters