US wants to release Gaza hostages under Biden's presidency
US President Joe Biden (photo: Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden has spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The US government hopes to reach an agreement on hostages in Gaza and a ceasefire before Biden leaves office, Voice of America reports.
Biden and Netanyahu discussed the possibility of reaching an agreement to end hostilities in the Palestinian enclave and release the remaining hostages, the White House said in a statement after the two leaders spoke by phone.
The media outlet reports that Biden emphasized the immediate need to cease fire in Gaza, return hostages, and increase humanitarian aid, which will be made possible by the cessation of hostilities under the agreement.
Netanyahu briefed Biden on the progress of the talks and the mandate he gave to his top-level security delegation, which is currently in Doha, to push forward with the hostage deal, Netanyahu said in a statement.
Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday that the parties were “very, very close” to reaching a deal, but still had to finalize it.
The other day, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the Biden administration is working closely with the Trump administration to agree on the release of hostages in Gaza and is trying to resolve this issue during President Biden's term.
At the same time, yesterday, US President-elect Donald Trump's special representative for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, insisted on a ceasefire in Gaza by January 20. It should be noted that this is when Biden's term ends.
Read more about his statement in the RBC-Ukraine article.
