In a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Joe Biden called for an immediate ceasefire that will allow for the release of hostages and more humanitarian aid inside Gaza.
Biden spoke with Netanyahu to discuss hostage deal negotiations and the ceasefire in Gaza, the prime minister's office announced in a Sunday statement.
The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to Biden and President-elect Donald Trump for their cooperation in the efforts to return the hostages, according to the statement.
The two leaders also 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.
This comes as a top-level Israeli security delegation arrived in Qatar for talks on a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, a spokesperson for Netanyahu said, in a possible sign of so-far elusive agreements nearing.
Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN's "State of the Union" program earlier on Sunday that the parties were "very, very close" to reaching a deal, but still had to get it across the finish line.
Qatar and fellow mediators Egypt and the United States are making renewed efforts to reach a deal to halt the fighting in the enclave and free the remaining 98 hostages held there before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
Netanyahu's office said on Saturday that the delegation includes Mossad Head David Barnea, the head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Ronen Bar, and the military's head of the hostage brief, Nitzan Alon.
Meeting in Qatar
Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, met on Saturday with Netanyahu after meeting on Friday with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Israeli and Palestinian officials have said since Thursday that some progress has been made in the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas but did not elaborate. The sides have been keeping a tight lid on the details being worked out.
It is unclear how they will bridge one of the biggest gaps that has persisted throughout previous rounds of talks: Hamas demands an end to the war, while Israel says it won't end the war as long as Hamas rules Gaza and poses a threat to Israelis.