JERUSALEM (dpa-AFX) - With barely a week remaining in power, President Joe Biden at the weekend made a last minute attempt to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce a ceasefire in Gaza.
Biden on Sunday discussed with Netanyahu about the ongoing negotiations in Doha for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
The President discussed the fundamentally changed regional circumstances following the ceasefire deal in Lebanon, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and the weakening of Iran's power in the region, the White House said in a readout of Biden's call with Netanyahu.
He stressed the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and return of the hostages with a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by a stoppage in the fighting under the deal. The Israeli leader thanked Biden for his lifelong support of Israel and for the extraordinary support from the United States for Israel's security and national defense, the White House said.
The Doha talks are based on the May 27 2024 arrangement endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council.
Israel claims to have nearly reached its target of eliminating Hamas in retaliation against the October 7 attacks as key Hamas leaders have been killed in the more than 15 months-old war in the Palestinian enclave.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed and several thousands are missing in Gaza, the majority of them women and children.
Palestinian militants took more than 250 hostages in southern Israel, many of whom have died in custody.
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