US President Joe Biden on Tuesday signaled that a deal to free hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and a temporary truce is "now very close."
"We are now very close, very close. We could bring some of these hostages home very soon. But I don't want to get into the details of things, because nothing is done until it's done," he said at the White House. "Things are looking good at the moment."
US President Joe Biden takes part in a leaders plenary meeting during Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, US, on November 16. File picture/REUTERS