US President Joe Biden was asked by reporters on Tuesday night whether he would speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza before he leaves office.
“I spoke with him and we’ll speak again,” Biden replied, without providing further details.
It is unclear at this time whether Biden is referring to a recent call with Netanyahu that has yet to be publicized.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Reuters news agency reported that Netanyahu was heading to Cairo in what would have been a dramatic development in the talks on a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza.
The Prime Minister's Office denied the report and stated, "Contrary to the wave of rumors - Prime Minister Netanyahu is not in Cairo.”
A Hamas source earlier told The Washington Post that the terrorist organization has given up its demand for a complete end to the war and a complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip.
The source claimed that the new proposal being discussed in the negotiations for a deal includes a 60-day truce and the exchange of the Israeli hostages for the release of terrorists imprisoned in Israel.
On Monday, Defense Minister Israel Katz stated during a meeting of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel is "closer than ever" to a deal with Hamas.
Katz noted that the deal will be carried out in stages and added, "The Philadelphi Corridor and the Netzarim Corridor will not be an obstacle to implementing a deal. There is flexibility from the other side on these issues."