Israel-Gaza war: Biden and Netanyahu speak as pressure builds to reach ceasefire
- US and Israeli leaders discussed Israel’s planned Rafah assault, truce talks and humanitarian aid, White House says
- Hamas and Israeli delegations will visit Cairo as pressure builds to secure a ceasefire in war-torn Gaza, release hostages
The White House on Sunday said US President Joe Biden had again spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as pressure builds on Israel and Hamas to reach a deal that would free some Israeli hostages and bring a ceasefire in the nearly seven-month-long war in Gaza.
The White House said that Biden reiterated his “clear position” as Israel plans to invade Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah despite global concern for more than 1 million Palestinians sheltering there.
The US opposes the invasion on humanitarian grounds, straining relations between the allies. Israel is among the countries US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit as he returns to the Middle East on Monday.
Biden also stressed that progress in delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza be “sustained and enhanced,” according to the statement.
The call lasted just under an hour, and they agreed the onus remains on Hamas to accept the latest offer in negotiations, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official wasn’t authorised to comment publicly. There was no comment from Netanyahu’s office.
