President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah🐬u on January 12, pressing for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the return of Israeli captives♔ held by Palestinian groups. Biden emphasized the urgency of reaching a truce before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office on January 20, news reports said.
The conversation comes amid ongoing negotiations to end the fighting in Gaza, which have been mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar over the past year. Despite progress at times, the talks have repeatedly stalled, with critical issues remaining unresolved. Key points of contention in the discussions have included the identification of captives to be released in the first phase of a proposed ceasefire, the potential release of Palestinian prisoners, and theܫ scale of Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza’s population centers, Al Jazeera reported.
US officials remain cautiously optimistic that an agreement could be reached soon, despite the complex negotiations. The Biden administration has been pushing for a swift resolution to prevent further escalation in the region as the transition of power approaches in the United States, news agency AP said. Both sides in the conflict have been divided over the details of the planned exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, as well as the nature of the ceasefire itself. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without an end to the war, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the campaign 🥂until total victory over the militant group, the 🔯AP report said.
In their conversation, Israeli Prime Minister🦄 Benjamin Netanyahu expressed gratitude to President Biden for his long standing support of Israel, according to the White House. Netanyahu has previously indicated that Israel is only committ🧸ed to the first phase of the proposed ceasefire, which would involve the release of some captives in exchange for a temporary halt in hostilities. However, Hamas has called for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the heavily damaged Gaza Strip, a demand that Netanyahu has rejected. Instead, Netanyahu has emphasized his intent to dismantle Hamas' military capabilities in Gaza.
The latest round is taking place in the Qatari capital, Doha, with the head of Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence agency, David Barnea, as well as Biden’s top Mid𝔍dle East adviser, Brett McGurk, both attending the talks. 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.
