The assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh didn’t help efforts to secure the release of 115 hostages in Gaza, US President Joe Biden told reporters at Joint Base Andrews base late Thursday night, as he appeared to blame Netanyahu for the absence of a deal.
“We have the basis for a ceasefire, he [Netanyahu] should move on it, and he should move on it now,” Biden said, as he referenced the three-phase proposal for a hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza that he had unveiled on May 31.
Biden was at the military air force base to welcome home American citizens who had been freed in a large prisoner exchange with Russia, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershokovich.
Even as he basked in that success, he took questions on the pending Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal. Haniyeh had been one of the Hamas leaders involved in the negotiations.
Biden described to reporters the exchange between him and Netanyahu during their phone call earlier in the evening.
“I had a very direct meeting with the Prime Minister today, very direct,” he stated.
'It has not helped'
A reporter asked him if Haniyeh’s killing in Tehran on Wednesday had ruined any chance for a ceasefire.
“It has not helped,” Biden stated.
Israel is widely believed to have killed Haniyeh, but has not taken formal responsibility for the hit, even though it has warned all Hamas leaders that they are “dead men.” It has sought retribution against them for the Hamas-led October 7 invasion of southern Israel in which over 1,200 people were killed and 251 seized as hostages.
The stern tone Biden took with respect to his conversation with Netanyahu was not reflected in the White House reading of their exchange.
Biden, according to the White House gave his unequivocal backing to the Jewish state as it faced the possibility of a joint coordinated attack from Iran and Hezbollah. The Iranian proxy group based in Lebanon has sought retribution for Israel’s assassination Tuesday of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, who was responsible for the rocket attack that killed 12 children in the Golan Heights.
“The President reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s security against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.
“The President discussed efforts to support Israel’s defense against threats, including against ballistic missiles and drones, to include new defensive U.S. military deployments,” the White House said.
“Together with this commitment to Israel’s defense, the President stressed the importance of ongoing efforts to de-escalate broader tensions in the region,” it added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, however, appeared to also finger Netanyahu for delaying the deal during a press conference in Mongolia on Thursday.
Blinken said he thought a deal was still achievable.
“To get there, it also first requires all parties to talk, to stop taking any escalatory actions. It also requires them to find reasons to come to an agreement, not to look for reasons to delay or say no to the agreement,” he stressed.”
Many relatives of the hostages, as well as Netanyahu’s opponents, have accused him of taking steps to sabotage a deal.
Netanyahu has insisted that all his actions are focused on bringing the hostages home and that he believes that strong military actions make a deal possible.
Sam Halpern contributed to this report.