Biden spoke with Israeli President Netanyahu, called for an ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Gaza | News about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

United States President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks and stressed the “urgent need” for a ceasefire as well as the return of Israeli prisoners held in the Palestinian enclave.

Sunday’s call came as Biden pushed for a deal to end the fighting before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House on January 20.

The negotiations, which were mediated last year by the US, Egypt and Qatar, have repeatedly stalled at times when they seemed to be close to an agreement. However, in recent days, US officials have expressed hope for an agreement.

The latest round is being held in the Qatari capital, Doha, and the talks are being attended by the head of Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, Mossad, David Barnea, as well as Biden’s top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk.

Barna’s presence, confirmed by Netanyahu’s office, means senior Israeli officials who are expected to sign off on any deal are now involved in the talks.

McGurk is working on the final details of a text that will be presented to both sides, Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told CNN’s “State of the Union.” But he said he did not want to predict whether an agreement could be reached by January 20, the day of the inauguration.

“We’re very, very close,” he said. “However, being very close still means we are far because until you actually get to the finish line, we are not there.”

The White House said ongoing negotiations in Doha are for a deal based on a phased ceasefire announced by Biden last May, which was later unanimously confirmed by the United Nations Security Council.

Biden “stressed the urgent need for a cease-fire in Gaza and the return of hostages, along with an increase in humanitarian aid made possible by the cessation of hostilities under the agreement,” the White House said.

For his part, Netanyahu thanked Biden for his lifelong support of Israel, according to a White House statement. The Israeli prime minister has previously signaled that he is committed only to the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which provides for the release of some prisoners in exchange for a weeks-long cessation of hostilities.

Hamas, however, has insisted on a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the largely devastated territory, but Netanyahu remains intent on destroying the group’s ability to fight in Gaza.

Issues in the talks included which prisoners would be freed in the first part of the gradual ceasefire agreement, which Palestinian prisoners would be released and the extent of Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza’s population centers.

Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from Jordan, said the Israeli negotiating team in Qatar was expected to remain in the country for at least another day “to agree the final details for a potential deal”.

She noted that the Israelis and Hamas have traded blame for the delay in reaching an agreement, while there is disagreement among Netanyahu’s coalition over the ceasefire.

“Members of the far right said they would vote against it, and Netanyahu even spoke to members of the far right, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, to try to warm them to the idea of ​​a deal,” she said. “There is a school of thought in Israel that Netanyahu prolonged the war and did not agree to a deal because he is afraid that it could result in the fall of his government. But regardless, these talks are still ongoing as mediators struggle to reach an agreement.”

The talks come as Israel continues its relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip, particularly the northern part of the enclave, which has been under a brutal siege for more than 100 days. Medical sources in Gaza say 5,000 people were killed or missing due to ongoing attacks.

Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and displaced more than 90 percent of the territory’s population from their homes. The brutal war, described by some UN experts as “genocide”, began after a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which Palestinian fighters killed 1,200 people and captured around 250.

In the 15 months of the war, only one short ceasefire was achieved, in the earliest weeks of fighting.