WASHINGTON ( WNAM MONITORING): US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday discussed ongoing Gaza negotiations in Qatar’s capital Doha.
“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,” the White House said in a statement.
In a call with Netanyahu, Biden also discussed the regional developments, including the cease-fire deal in Lebanon, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and Iran, it added.
Netanyahu, for his part, thanked Biden for his “lifelong” support of Israel and for the “extraordinary” support from the US for Israel’s security and national defense.
Last week, Biden told reporters that “some progress” is being made in prisoner exchange talks. The president said he hopes his administration can broker such a deal before it expires on Jan. 20.
The prisoner swap and cease-fire talks, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US, have been interrupted several times due to new conditions imposed by Netanyahu.
The Israeli opposition and families of captives accuse Netanyahu of obstructing efforts to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 46,500 victims, most of them women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
