The US President Joe Biden in a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, emphasized the “immediate need” for a ceasefire in Gaza and a return of Israeli prisoners detained in the Palestinian enclave.
Biden made the call on Sunday in an effort to reach an agreement to end the conflict before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.
Over the past year, the US, Egypt, and Qatar have mediated the negotiations, which have frequently halted at points when agreement appeared close. However, U.S. officials have stated that they intend to finalize an agreement in the next few days.
The most recent meeting is being held in Doha, Qatar, and is being attended by Brett McGurk, Biden’s top Middle East adviser, and David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence organization.
Barnea’s presence, confirmed by Netanyahu’s office, means high-level Israeli officials who would need to sign off on any agreement are now involved in the talks.
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security advisor, said that McGurk has been working on the last details of a text that will be given to both sides. However, he stated that he would not make any predictions about whether an agreement could be struck by the inauguration day on January 20.
According to the White House, the current negotiations in Doha are seeking an agreement based on the gradual ceasefire that Biden declared in May of last year and that the UN Security Council later unanimously approved.
With an increase in humanitarian aid made possible by a halt in violence under the agreement, Biden “emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of the hostages,” stated the White House.
Netanyahu expressed gratitude to Biden for his lifetime of support of Israel. The Israeli prime minister has previously indicated that he is only committed to the ceasefire agreement’s initial phase, which calls for the release of certain prisoners in return for a weeks-long cessation of hostilities.
Netanyahu is determined to eliminate Hamas’s fighting capabilities in Gaza, despite the group’s demands for a complete Israeli troop pullout from the mostly destroyed region.
Discussion topics have included the amount of any Israeli force departure from Gaza’s population centers, which Palestinian detainees would be released, and whose captives would be released in the first phase of a phased ceasefire agreement.
