The White House on Thursday issued a statement following US President Joe Biden’s meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The statement said that Biden discussed with Netanyahu the importance of finalizing the hostage release deal.
“The President and the Prime Minister discussed developments in Gaza and the ongoing negotiations on the ceasefire and hostage release deal in detail. President Biden expressed the need to close the remaining gaps, finalize the deal as soon as possible, bring the hostages home, and reach a durable end to the war in Gaza,” said the statement.
“The President also raised the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the need to remove any obstacles to the flow of aid and restoring basic services for those in need, and the critical importance of protecting civilian lives during military operations,” the statement continued.
Finally it said, “President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security against all threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.”
Biden and Netanyahu also met families of hostages with US citizenship who are being held in Gaza.
After the meeting Biden pledged in a post on X, “They've endured the unthinkable. I will do everything possible to bring every hostage home, including the remains of those murdered in captivity.”
Biden in late May outlined a three-phase proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release deal. He recently indicated that both Israel and Hamas had agreed to the outline and reiterated his determination to implement the proposal.
On Wednesday, a US official said that the negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal are in their "closing stages", adding that Biden and Netanyahu would discuss the details during their meeting.
Vice President Kamala Harris, following her own meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday, called for Biden’s proposal to be implemented.