Biden: Ceasefire Agreement Near as Israel Discovers Bodies in Gaza

Israel's military discovered several bodies in Gaza, which are currently being identified. The war has resulted in significant casualties, with over 40,000 Palestinians killed since October. Clashes continue in the West Bank, while U.S. President Joe Biden remains hopeful for a ceasefire agreement to end the conflict.

Israel's military has found multiple bodies in Gaza during ongoing combat operations, initiating a process to extract and identify them that is expected to take several hours.

The public has been urged not to spread rumors regarding the identities of the bodies. U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed his administration is in contact with Israeli officials about the discovery, though the exact number of bodies remains uncertain. Biden stated he is not currently at liberty to identify them.

Since October 7, at least 40,691 Palestinians have died and 94,060 have been injured due to Israel's military actions in Gaza, as reported by the enclave's health ministry. The conflict was ignited by an attack from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Israel, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and around 250 hostages according to Israeli figures.

Meanwhile, intense clashes have erupted between Israeli troops and Palestinian fighters in the West Bank, particularly in Jenin. This marks one of the largest Israeli military operations in the West Bank in recent months. Despite the ongoing violence, President Biden expressed optimism about reaching a ceasefire agreement soon, stating, 'We're on the verge of having an agreement. It's time this war ended.'

(With inputs from agencies.)