WASHINGTON, Feb 13, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - The United States is working to negotiate a ceasefire of "at least six weeks" in the Gaza Strip as part of a wider deal that would also involve the release of hostages, President Joe Biden said Monday.

   "The United States is working on a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, which would bring (an) immediate and sustained period of calm to Gaza for at least six weeks," Biden said at the White House, with Jordanian King Abdullah II at his side.

   Biden also said civilians sheltering in the southern city of Rafah, on the Egyptian border, "need to be protected" as Israel considers a ground incursion in the densely crowded area where more than a million Palestinians are trapped.