Amid the loss of lives, destruction and war between Israel-Hamas, the US President Joe Biden said that a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict could take effect as soon as the end of the weekend, all while slurping down on some ice cream in New York City with TV host Seth Meyers

"My national security adviser tells me that we're close, we're close, it's not done yet. And my hope is that by next Monday [March 4] we'll have a ceasefire," Biden said. The President and Meyers were filming a segment for Meyers' late night show with NBC.

Biden's chat with Myers was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of "Late Night With Seth Meyers," NBC had said in a statement.

The president said he 'hoped' to see a positive resolution on the ceasefire/hostage release deal by the end of the weekend.

Gaza has been war-torn ever since the Israel-Hamas conflict escalated after the October 7 Hamas attacks, in which the terror group killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages back to Gaza. The war has left thousands dead on both sides of the border.

Hundreds of protests have propped up all over the world to demand a ceasefire in the fighting to get medical aid and supplies to the civilians suffering in Gaza.

Temporary ceasefires have been implemented over the last few months for the safe exchange of hostages and prisoners and also to let cargo and medical trucks in.

However, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly denied any possibility of a ceasefire without the safe return of all hostages taken by Hamas.