Biden speaks with Netanyahu and urges an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza | News of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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

The call on Sunday came as Biden seeks to reach an agreement to stop the fighting before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House on January 20.

The negotiations, brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar over the past year, have repeatedly faltered at moments when they seemed close to reaching an agreement. However, US officials in recent days have expressed hope that an agreement will be reached.

The final round will be held in the Qatari capital, Doha, in the presence of the head of the Israeli foreign intelligence service, Mossad, David Barnea, and Biden’s senior advisor for Middle East affairs, Brett McGurk, in the talks.

Barnea’s presence, confirmed by Netanyahu’s office, means that high-ranking Israeli officials will need to sign off on any agreement now involved in the talks.

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

“We are very, very close,” he added. “However, being so close still means we are far away because until we actually get to the finish line, we won’t be there.”

The White House said that the ongoing talks in Doha aim to reach an agreement based on the interim ceasefire announced by Biden in May last year, which was later unanimously approved by the United Nations Security Council.

The White House said that Biden “stressed the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of the hostages, along with increased humanitarian aid provided by the cessation of fighting under the agreement.”

For his part, Netanyahu thanked Biden for his continued support for Israel, according to the White House statement. The Israeli Prime Minister had previously indicated that he was committed only to the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which stipulates the release of some prisoners in exchange for a cessation of fighting for a period of weeks.

However, Hamas has insisted on a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the largely devastated area, but Netanyahu remains intent on destroying the movement’s ability to fight in Gaza.

Issues in the talks included which prisoners would be released in the first part of an interim ceasefire agreement, which Palestinian prisoners would be released and the extent of any withdrawal of Israeli forces from population centers in Gaza.

Al Jazeera’s Hamda Salhout, reporting from Jordan, said the Israeli negotiating team in Qatar is expected to remain in the country for at least another day “in order to work out the final details of a possible agreement.”

She pointed out that the Israelis and Hamas exchanged blame for the delay in reaching an agreement, while there is a disagreement between Netanyahu’s coalition over the ceasefire.

She added: “Members of the extreme right said they would vote against the agreement, and Netanyahu spoke with members of the extreme right, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, to try to encourage them to the idea of ​​reaching an agreement.” “There is a school of thought in Israel that Netanyahu prolonged the war and did not agree to a deal because he feared it would lead to the collapse of his government. However, these talks are still ongoing as mediators scramble to reach an agreement.

The talks come as Israel continues its ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip, especially the northern Strip, which has been subject to a brutal siege for more than 100 days. Medical sources in Gaza said 5,000 people were killed or missing Because of the constant attacks.

The Israeli campaign on Gaza led to the killing of more than 46 thousand Palestinians, the majority of whom were women and children, and the displacement of more than 90% of the Strip’s population from their homes. The brutal war, which some UN experts describe as “genocide,” began following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which Palestinian fighters killed 1,200 people and captured about 250 others.

Only a short-term ceasefire was achieved during the 15 months of war, in the first weeks of fighting.