US President Joe Biden delivers remarks during a Hanukkah reception at the White House in Washington, US, Dec. 11, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

i24 News – President Joe Biden on Friday said the it is “looking tough” for a temporary ceasefire-hostage deal between Israel and Hamas to be secured by the start of Ramadan on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters after visiting a family near Philadelphia, Biden expressed his particular concerns over the potential spike of violence in East Jerusalem.

Earlier on Friday, Hamas urged the group’s supporters to mobilize toward the Al-Aqsa Mosque at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City, a flashpoint for violence during Ramadan in the past years.

Biden’s statement comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Hamas was now weighing the decision on the ceasefire-hostage deal. “The ball is in their court. We’re working intensely on it, and we’ll see what they do,” he stated.

U.S. President Biden says the hostage deal is 'in the hands of Hamas' pic.twitter.com/H02NIFUGlQ

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According to Blinken, Washington remains “intensely focused” on securing the deal before Ramadan’s beginning, while hostages’ captivity has recently passed the five-month mark.