US President Joe Biden on hostage deal: 'Still gaps to close, trend is positive'

US President Joe Biden stated that the hostage deal, which was proposed six weeks ago, was agreed to by both Israel and Hamas at a press conference on Thursday following the conclusion of the NATO Summit in Washington.

He added that he sent a team to "hammer out the details."

Biden said there were "still gaps to close," but "the trend is positive."

Biden, in late May, detailed a proposal of three phases aimed at achieving a ceasefire, the release of hostages in Gaza, and rebuilding the Gaza Strip.

CIA Director Bill Burns and US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk visited the Middle East this week to meet with regional counterparts to discuss the ceasefire deal.

Biden noted in the conference that he was determined to bring about an end to the Israel-Hamas war, which he added "should end now."

Later in the conference, Biden said that Israel should not occupy Gaza once its war ends against Hamas.

Among the challenges Biden has faced in his dealings during the war in Gaza, Biden mentioned Israel's current war cabinet which he stated was one of the most conservative cabinets in the history of Israel. He noted that the only solution to the war is a two-state solution, and that he has tried to get Arab countries to participate in the process of the-day-after in Gaza and to realize the goal of a two-state solution. 

Biden also discussed his efforts to get humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip during the war and called Israel occasionally "less than cooperative" amid these efforts. 

Biden said he supports Israel's attempts to defeat Hamas in Gaza, but that "It's time to end this war" and expressed support for reaching a ceasefire. He also said that there is growing dissatisfaction with Hamas among Gazans.  

War in Ukraine, Biden's fitness for presidency

In addition to discussing the war in Gaza, President Biden addressed the war in Ukraine, the NATO alliance, the US economy, and his ability to continue his presidency despite his age.

Biden vowed that the United States "cannot retreat from the world" and said that under his leadership, Washington would not abandon its support for Ukraine.

He affirmed a strong NATO alliance was essential to American security.

When Biden began to field questions, among the first were about his mental and physical fitness for the presidency.

Biden said his health is in good shape and that he would take another neurological exam to determine his mental acuity if his doctors recommended it to him.

He said that he had taken three significant and intense neurological exams, most recently in February, and that the doctors tell him that "I am in good shape." He said no one was suggesting he take another such exam at this time.

He was also asked whether his Vice President, Kamala Harris was qualified to be president if necessary. 

Biden responded that he would not have picked Kamala Harris as his vice president if she were not qualified to be president.

Biden highlighted Harris's career as a senator and a prosecutor before she was vice president. He also noted that she has done well advocating for women's reproductive freedoms over the last four years.

"She is qualified to be president," Biden said. "That's why I picked her."