US President Joe Biden spoke on Monday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the release of Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz by Hamas.
“The President welcomed the release of two additional hostages from Gaza earlier today, and reaffirmed his commitment to ongoing efforts to secure the release of all the remaining hostages taken by Hamas - including Americans - and to provide for safe passage for US citizens and other civilians in Gaza,” the White House said in a statement.
“The President also underscored the need to sustain a continuous flow of urgently needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza. The President updated the Prime Minister on US support for Israel and ongoing efforts at regional deterrence, to include new US military deployments. They agreed to speak again in the coming days,” the statement added.
This is the second conversation between Biden and Netanyahu in as many days. After their conversation on Sunday, the White House said the two “affirmed that there will now be continued flow” of critical assistance into Gaza.
Monday’s conversation between the two followed a briefing attended by Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris which dealt with the latest developments in Israel and Gaza.