Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken to US President Joe Biden about the “progress” in negotiations for the ceasefire deal securing the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and of Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
Netanyahu told Biden about “the mandate he gave to the negotiating team to Doha in order to advance the release of our hostages,” thanking both Biden and US President-elect Donald Trump for their help in “this sacred mission.”
The White House said that Biden and Netanyahu had discussed the ongoing negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha and the release of the hostages on the basis of a ceasefire plan that Biden had presented in May last year.
On the call, Biden also spoke with Netanyahu about the “fundamentally changed regional circumstances” following the ceasefire in Lebanon, the fall of the al-Assad regime in Syria and the weakening of Iran’s regional influence, the White House statement said.
“He stressed the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and return of the hostages with a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by a stoppage in the fighting under the deal.”
