US President Joe Biden warned Friday that it will be “tough” to safe a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas by the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“It’s looking tough,” Biden instructed reporters when requested if a deal to halt the five-month-old battle might be achieved by Ramadan, which is because of begin as early as Sunday relying on the sighting of the moon.

Biden added that “I sure am” anxious about the potential for violence in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as Ramadan approaches, including to an identical warning earlier this week.

Hamas’s armed wing on Friday urged supporters to mobilize in the direction of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem, a flashpoint for violence throughout Ramadan in previous years.

It additionally stated there could be no compromise on the motion’s demand that Israel withdraw from Gaza to safe the discharge of hostages seized by Hamas.

The Israel-Hamas conflict was triggered by the Palestinian militants’ unprecedented assault on southern Israel on October 7.