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President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held lengthy talks Sunday on a deal to ensure the release of the Gaza hostages, a senior administration official said, adding that while the framework is in place, rifts remain. I warned you that there are still some left.
In their first phone conversation since Jan. 19, Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke about Israel’s ongoing operations in Gaza, the return of hostages captured by Hamas, and Israel’s expected return to Rafah, which has sparked concern in the United States and other countries in the region. We discussed a ground attack on the city. .
“The President reaffirmed our shared goal of defeating Hamas and ensuring the long-term security of Israel and its people. The President and Prime Minister will secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas. “We discussed continued efforts to achieve this goal,” the White House statement said.
Over the past few months, the United States has sought to further pressure the Israeli government to support a “humanitarian moratorium” in the war against Hamas. However, those efforts have yielded little results.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week said Hamas’ recent proposals for a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza were “delusional.”
Hamas’ full response proposes three phases lasting 45 days each, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, a large-scale humanitarian effort, and freedom of movement for people across Gaza, according to a copy obtained by CNN. are doing.
“There are no promises. There needs to be negotiations, it’s a process. And as far as Hamas sees it, that’s not happening at the moment,” Netanyahu said.
136 hostages are being held in Gaza, including 132 captured in the October 7 Hamas attack. According to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, 29 of the hostages died. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has previously said negotiations toward a deal will continue despite the Israeli prime minister’s comments, which Blinken said referred to an “absolute non-starter” in the proposal. Ta.
The call between Biden and Netanyahu lasted about 45 minutes, with two-thirds of the call focused on releasing the hostages, a senior Biden administration official said.
“Certainly there are gaps that need to be filled. Some of them are significant, but there has been significant progress in recent weeks and we are currently trying to do everything we can to capitalize on that.” said the official.
The White House said on Sunday that “military operations in Rafah should not proceed without a credible and workable plan to ensure the safety and support of the more than 1 million people displaced in Rafah.” I have reaffirmed my opinion.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that the IDF “will soon enter Rafah, Hamas’ last stronghold.” More than 1.3 million people are estimated to live in the southern cities, the United Nations said, most of whom have fled from other parts of Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on residents of Rafah to evacuate ahead of the ground attack, but it is unclear where they should evacuate. The city shares a border with Egypt to the south, but the border has been closed for months. The US said it would not support an Israeli military operation in Rafah “without serious planning” given the risks.
“We have made it clear that operations under the current circumstances are not something we can envisage,” a senior government official said.
The phone call between Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu came days after the president issued his harshest rebuke to date of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, saying the operation against Hamas had gone “overboard.”
“You know, I think the implementation of the response in Gaza has gone too far,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Thursday, explaining his efforts to open Gaza. Allowing more humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza.
Biden and Netanyahu did not specifically address the president’s comments, a senior administration official said.
Last week, Prime Minister Blinken told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials that civilian casualties in Gaza “remain too high” as violence continues in the area.
“Nearly 2 million people have been forced from their homes. Hundreds of thousands of people are suffering from severe hunger. Most have lost a loved one. are being killed,” Blinken said at a news conference after meeting with Israeli officials.
The Israeli offensive, which began after the Hamas attack just four months ago, has caused untold humanitarian damage in the Gaza Strip, killing tens of thousands of people and leaving Gazans on the brink of starvation. Officials believe a cessation of fighting will be central to Gaza’s short- and long-term goals as international and domestic U.S. pressure to end the conflict mounts.
Earlier Sunday, Mr. Biden also met with Mr. Blinken, CIA Director Bill Burns, Vice President Kamala Harris, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and the White House senior team.
This article and heading have been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Jennifer Hansler, Amir Tal, Mick Clever, Abia Salman, Eve Brennan and Hamdi Alkhshari contributed to this report.
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