President Biden and Israeli PM Netanyahu discuss ceasefire, hostage deal: Report

Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that the parties were "very, very close" to reaching a deal

Updated on: Jan 13, 2025, 04:51:31 IST

By HT News Desk

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US President Joe Biden held a discussion with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday regarding a ceasefire and release of hostages deal in Gaza, reported news agency Reuters.

President Biden and PM Netanyahu discussed a ceasefire deal involving the Gaza conflict (Jim Watson/AFP)

During a phone call, Biden, who will leave office on January 20, received updates from Netanyahu regarding the current progress made in the ceasefire being mediated in Doha and was also informed about the terms set by the Israeli delegation.

Earlier on Sunday, Biden's national security advisor Jake Sullivan stated that they were “very close” to deciding on a deal, but nothing had been finalised yet since the Palestinian militant group Hamas remained “intransigent”, reported CNN.

Also Read: Netanyahu had ‘very warm’ phone call with ‘friend’ Trump; Discussed Gaza war, Syria

“We are still determined to use every day we have in office to get this done and we are not, by any stretch of imagination, setting this aside,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan also confirmed that outgoing President Biden had been getting regular updates regarding the talks in Doha.

Trump administration and Israel

Vice president-elect JD Vance on Saturday told Fox News that a deal for the release of US hostages could be announced in the last few days of the Biden administration.

Also Read: ‘Ready for ceasefire, but Israel must respect proposal’, says Hamas

He added, “Regardless of when that deal is struck, it will be because people are terrified that there are going to be consequences for Hamas," echoing president-elect Donald Trump's rhetoric on escalating aggression against Hamas.

Donald Trump, who will soon take office, has vowed to bring peace to the Middle-East though no exact roadmap for the same has been revealed.

Trump's incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has also been involved in the negotiations in Doha where the US, Egypt and Qatar are mediating between Israel and Hamas.

Roughly one hundred hostages are currently with Hamas, reported AFP, and according to the Palestinian health ministry more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza.

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HT News Desk
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