President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to discuss ongoing negotiations on agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages with Hamas.
During the call, the two leaders discussed a deal that builds on the agreement outlined by Mr. Biden last year, the White House said.
“The president discussed the fundamentally changed regional circumstances following the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the weakening of Iranian power in the region,” the White House said in a statement.
On Sunday, Netanyahu's office said the prime minister had briefed Biden on the progress of the talks.
“The prime minister discussed with the American president the progress of negotiations for the release of our hostages and informed him of the mandate he has given to the negotiating team in Doha to advance the release of the hostages,” Netanyahu's office said. statement.
The Biden administration has been pushing for a deal ahead of the president's Jan. 20 inauguration, which would see President-elect Donald Trump return to the White House.
Susan Walsh/AP
A sign of progress in the ongoing talks in Doha, Netanyahu's office said on Saturday David Borneo, Mossad's director of foreign intelligence, was scheduled to go to Qatar.. It was not yet clear when Borneo would travel to Doha for the latest round of indirect talks between Israel and the militant group Hamas. Still, his presence means that senior Israeli officials, who must sign off on any deal, are now involved, the Associated Press reported.
Negotiations mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar have repeatedly reached deadlocks. Only one brief ceasefire was achieved in the first weeks of fighting.
“(Mr. Biden) emphasized the urgent need for a cease-fire in Gaza and the return of hostages with increased humanitarian aid made possible by the ceasefire agreement,” the White House said. “The prime minister thanked the president for his lifelong support of Israel and for extraordinary support from the United States for the security and national defense of Israel.”
Trump's incoming special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, was in Qatar and Israel this week.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said this week that a deal was “very close” and he hoped to complete it before handing over diplomacy to the incoming Trump administration. But US officials have expressed similar optimism several times over the past year.
Israel launched its offensive on the Gaza Strip after declaring war on Hamas following deadly attacks by the group's militants on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people. Another 251 people were taken hostage.
Israel's bombing and ground invasion of Gaza killed more than 46,000 Palestiniansmore than half of them are women and children, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count.