Reuters
US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
CNN
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President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talked Sunday primarily about releasing hostages in Gaza, a person familiar with the phone call said.
The White House said in a readout of the call earlier Sunday that Biden reiterated his “clear position” on the possibility of an Israeli invasion of Rafah. It was part of a call that lasted less than an hour, but officials said the focus was primarily on talks to free hostages held by Hamas.
Sources said the two leaders spoke about the footage released last week showing two Americans being taken hostage, as well as Biden and other 17 countries’ leaders urging Hamas to accept the terms of the cease-fire and hostage agreement. and discussed a rare joint statement.
The White House also highlighted the two leaders’ conversations on humanitarian assistance. “The president and prime minister also discussed expanding humanitarian assistance to Gaza, including preparations for the opening of a new northern border starting this week,” the statement said.
The White House added: “The President emphasized the need to maintain and strengthen this progress in full partnership with the humanitarian community. The leaders discussed Mr. Rafah and the President reiterated his clear position. ”
The Biden administration has made clear that it wants to see a clear and workable plan from the Israeli side on how to protect civilians in Rafah.
White House national security and communications adviser John Kirby told ABC on Sunday that Israel has told the US side that more than 1 million people will remain in the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip until the Biden administration can share its concerns. He said that he has told them that they will not launch an invasion of the areas where they have evacuated.
Kirby said the United States was still working to reach an agreement that included a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages.
“If we can get this hostage deal done, and we’re still working on it, Hamas hasn’t rejected it completely, so they’re considering this proposal. If we can achieve that, we’ll have six weeks of peace. That’s six weeks of no fighting, and that doesn’t include the fighting in Rafah,” Kirby said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“And what we hope is that after a six-week temporary ceasefire, perhaps we may be able to achieve a more permanent ceasefire. We want the conflict to end as soon as possible. ” he added.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the region this week to discuss ceasefire and hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas, which remain stalled despite months of mediation by Qatar and Egypt.
In his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, Biden also reaffirmed his “ironclad” commitment to Israel.
The call came days after Biden signed an aid package that included $26 billion for Israel. The package also includes nearly $61 billion in aid to Ukraine and $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific.
“The President reaffirmed his firm commitment to Israel’s security following Iran’s successful defense against an unprecedented missile and drone attack earlier this month,” the White House said.
During a phone conversation between the two leaders earlier this month, Biden told Netanyahu that the humanitarian situation across the Gaza Strip was unacceptable and warned Israel to take steps to address the crisis or face the consequences. did. This is a stark statement from Israel’s most loyal ally.
This article and heading have been updated with additional developments.
