Biden talks with Israel’s Netanyahu as truce talks take place in Qatar

President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. agreement on ceasefire and release of hostages With Hamas.

According to information from the White House, during the talks, the two leaders discussed the agreement based on the agreement established by Mr. Biden last year.

“The president discussed the regional conditions that have fundamentally changed after the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and the weakening of Iran’s power in the region,” the White House said in a statement.

Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday that the prime minister had briefed Biden on how the talks were going.

“The prime minister discussed with the American president the progress in negotiations for the release of our hostages and conveyed to him the mandate given to the negotiating team in Doha to accelerate the release of the hostages,” Netanyahu’s office said. statement.

The Biden administration is pressing for a deal to return President-elect Donald Trump to the White House before the January 20 presidential inauguration.

Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday that it was a sign of progress in the ongoing talks in Doha David Barnea, director of the Mossad foreign intelligence agency, was to visit Qatar.. It was not immediately known when Barnea would travel to Doha for the latest round of indirect talks between Israel and the Hamas militant group. However, the Associated Press reports that his presence would mean the presence of high-level Israeli officials who would have to sign off on any deal.

Negotiations mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar have repeatedly stalled. In the first weeks of the fighting, only one brief truce was achieved.

“(Mr. Biden) emphasized the urgent need for a cease-fire in Gaza and the return of hostages, secured by an increase in humanitarian aid made possible by a cessation of hostilities under the agreement,” the White House said. “The prime minister thanked the president for his lifelong support for Israel and for it Extraordinary support from the US For Israel’s security and national defense.”

Trump’s new special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, visited Qatar and Israel this week.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said this week that a deal was “very close” and that he hoped to complete it before handing over diplomacy to the incoming Trump administration. But U.S. officials have expressed similar optimism several times over the past year.

Israel launched an assault on the Gaza Strip after the group declared war on Hamas following deadly attacks by its militants on October 7, 2023, which killed nearly 1,200 people. Another 251 people were taken hostage.

Israel’s bombing and ground occupation of Gaza He killed more than 46 thousand PalestiniansAccording to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than half of them are women and children, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.