Joe Biden says Gaza ceasefire deal in Hamas’s hands as Ramadan nears

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that a deal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages was in the hands of Hamas, as delegations held a third day of talks with no sign of a breakthrough.

Negotiators from the Palestinian militant group, Qatar and Egypt – but not Israel – are in Cairo trying to secure a 40-day ceasefire in Hamas’ war with Israel in time for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins early next week.

The deal presented to Hamas would let some hostages captured by Palestinian militants in the October attack that precipitated the war go free, while aid to Gaza would be increased to try to avert famine as hospitals treat acutely malnourished children, and Hamas would provide a list of all the hostages held in Gaza.

But in Beirut, Hamas official Osama Hamdan repeated his group’s main demands: an end to the Israeli military offensive, withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the return of all Gazans to the homes they had been forced to flee.

He said any exchange of prisoners could not take place except after a ceasefire, reflecting Hamas’ view that a ceasefire must, above all, be a step towards a settlement of the conflict.

Israel, for its part, wants merely a pause in fighting to get hostages out of Gaza and more aid in, insisting that it will not end the conflict before Hamas is “eliminated”.