Biden Presses Israel’s Netanyahu for Gaza Ceasefire in Latest Meeting
President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, emphasizing the “immediate need” for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli captives held by Hamas, as efforts intensify to secure a deal before President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House on January 20, Al Jazeera reports.
The call comes as negotiations, mediated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar, are underway in Doha, Qatar. These talks, which have repeatedly stalled over the past year, have seen renewed momentum, with high-level officials from both sides engaged in the latest round. David Barnea, head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, and Brett McGurk, Biden’s top Middle East adviser, are both participating in the discussions.
Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, confirmed on CNN’s “State of the Union” that McGurk is working on a final text to be presented to both sides. The White House stated the current talks are based on the phased ceasefire plan that Biden announced in May of last year, which was later endorsed by the UN Security Council. The White House added that Biden “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.”
While Netanyahu thanked Biden for his “lifelong support of Israel,” according to the White House readout, he has previously indicated a commitment only to the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. This initial phase focuses on the release of some captives in exchange for a limited, weeks-long pause in fighting. However, Hamas insists on a full Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza, a condition Netanyahu has so far refused, maintaining his focus on dismantling the group’s fighting capabilities.
Negotiations have been complicated by disagreements over which captives will be released initially, which Palestinian prisoners would be freed, and the scope of any Israeli troop withdrawal from population centers in Gaza.
The talks are taking place against the backdrop of intense Israeli bombardment, particularly in the north of Gaza, which has been under a brutal siege for over 100 days. Medical sources in Gaza say 5,000 people have been killed or are missing due to the ongoing attacks. Overall, Israel’s campaign in Gaza has resulted in more than 46,000 Palestinian deaths, with the majority being women and children, and it has displaced over 90% of the territory’s population from their homes. Some UN experts have described the conflict as a “genocide.” The current conflict began after a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which Palestinian fighters killed 1,200 people and took about 250 others captive.
Despite the high-level involvement, Sullivan has declined to predict whether a deal can be reached by January 20th, the date of the inauguration. Only one brief ceasefire has been achieved in the 15 months of war, and that was in the initial weeks.
