President Biden has walked back claims he made earlier this week that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is imminent, Al Jazeera reports.

When asked by a reporter outside the White House whether he was still hopeful that a deal could be agreed in the coming days, he said: “Hope springs eternal.

“I was on the telephone with the people in the region. Probably not by Monday, but I’m hopeful,” Biden added.

Hamas representatives have since said Biden’s optimism is not “related to the reality on the ground” and that “the gap is still wide”.