Biden Urges Netanyahu to Agree to “Immediate Ceasefire” in Gaza

Washington (Quds News Network)- US President Joe Biden has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and increase humanitarian aid to the enclave, as talks continue over a potential mediated agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Netanyahu has spoken with Biden about the progress in negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire deal.
“The prime minister discussed with the American president the progress in the negotiations to release our hostages and updated him on the mandate he gave to the negotiating team to Doha in order to advance the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement about the call on Sunday.
It added, “the prime minister wanted to thank the American President (Joe) Biden and the incoming President Donald Trump for their cooperation for the holy mission.”
The White House said Biden and Netanyahu discussed the negotiations in Doha, based on the proposal the US president laid out in May. Biden once again called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of the captives and increased humanitarian aid to the enclave.
This is the first publicly announced call between the two since October 2024, and it comes as Biden pushes for a deal to stop the war before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House on January 20.
The negotiations, mediated over the past year by the US, Egypt and Qatar, have repeatedly stalled at moments when they seemed close to a deal. Still, in recent days, US officials have expressed hope of sealing an agreement.
The latest round is taking place in the Qatari capital, Doha, with the head of Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence agency, David Barnea, as well as Biden’s top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, both attending the talks.
Barnea’s presence, confirmed by Netanyahu’s office, means high-level Israeli officials who would need to sign off on any agreement are now involved in the talks.
McGurk has been working on final details of a text to be presented to both sides, Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told CNN’s “State of the Union”. But he said he would not predict whether a deal can be reached by January 20, the day of the inauguration.
“We are very, very close,” he said. “Yet being very close still means we’re far because until you actually get across the finish line, we’re not there.”
Reuters reported on Monday that Qatar has handed Israel and Hamas a “final” draft of a ceasefire and captive release agreement, citing an official briefed on the negotiations.
A breakthrough was reached in Doha after midnight following talks between Israel’s spy chiefs, President-elect Trump’s Middle East envoy and Qatar’s prime minister, the official stated.
The talks come as Israel continues its relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip, particularly the north of the enclave, which has been subject to a brutal siege for more than 100 days. Gaza’s Government Media Office said on Sunday that 5,000 people have been killed or are missing due to the ongoing attacks.
Israel’s assault in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children, and displaced more than 90 percent of the territory’s population from their homes, according to the UN.