Prospect Of Ceasefire Agreement Increases After Biden's 'Ultimatum'

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby has hinted to reporters that the US expects more positive developments from Hamas/Israel ceasefire talks in Cairo, Egypt this weekend.

• Kirby: "A good occasion is going on in Cairo this coming weekend. And one of the messages that the President had for [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu was…let's get this done. Let's get a deal in place so that we can get a ceasefire for a matter of weeks in place..."
• An ultimatum presented by Biden to Netanyahu yesterday - to do more to ensure civilian safety in Gaza of lose some US support - appears to have spurred action from Israel today, including opening a new border crossing and firing two senior IDF officers for the strike which killed seven World Food Kitchen humanitarian workers.
• Asked what Biden told Netanyahu about a ceasefire deal, Kirby says: "The short answer is yes. [Biden] urged [Netanyahu] to get to yes on negotiating a deal to get the hostages out."
• Kirby says there are no plans for the US to conduct an independent investigation into the WFK strike: "Guys, [the IDF] just finished it. And we are just now getting a chance to look at it [the IDF report]."
• Kirby concedes that a US-Israel meeting on strategy for a IDF operation in Rafah, scheduled for next week, may be delayed by another week likely reflecting the changing priorities for the US in light the WFK strike and increased threat from Iran.