US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone conversation in the Democrat's final week in the White House as the prospect of a Gaza ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages grows.
Israel and Hamas have reportedly made progress in talks, although uncertainty remains over key aspects of a potential deal.
The White House announced that Biden had discussed the drastic change in regional circumstances following Israel's ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, the fall of the Assad regime and the weakening of Iran's power in the region.
While Netanyahu's office announced that he had updated Biden regarding the instructions he had given to negotiators in order to move forward with the release of the hostages.
In the phone call on Sunday, the first to be made public since October, Biden stressed the immediate need for a cease-fire in Gaza, the return of hostages and increased humanitarian aid to the torn enclave. The talk comes a day after Netanyahu sent a high-level security delegation including the directors of the Mossad spy agency and the Shin Bet security service to indirect negotiations in Doha brokered by Qatar, the US and Egypt.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu is meeting with members of his cabinet, who oppose the ceasefire agreement, in an attempt to convince them not to give up.
The Israeli prime minister is under increased pressure to accept the deal. Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met with Netanyahu recently precisely to push him to reach a deal ahead of the president-elect's January 20 inauguration. (A2 Televizion)
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