President Biden said Saturday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) found several bodies in Gaza.
The president, leaving church in Delaware, said his staff has been in contact with Israel.
“I’m not sure the exact number,” he said, NBC News reported.
The IDF said Saturday that it had located a “number of bodies” during combat in Gaza, but it did not confirm if any of the bodies were hostages from the Oct. 7 attack by the militant group Hamas.
Despite no confirmation, many Israelis took the IDF’s statement to mean the bodies were hostages. The military group asked the public to “refrain from spreading rumors,” CNN reported.
Biden said they wanted to identify the people before releasing more information and that he is “not at liberty” to say who they are at the moment.
“It’s time this war ended,” he said. “We should end this war.”
As he has said for months, Biden believes he is on the verge of a cease-fire deal with Israel and Hamas in the nearly year-long war in Gaza.
“I think we’re on the verge of an agreement, it’s just time to end it. Time to finish it,” he said.
Biden said he is optimistic about closing a deal because all parties have agreed to the “principles” of a deal.
“So, keep your fingers crossed,” he said.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, when Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and taking 250 hostages, Israel has participated in a deadly and destructive counteroffensive. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed and survivors are facing a famine.