Biden spoke to Netanyahu, source says; Sullivan says the detention deal is very close Via Reuters

Posted by Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden spoke on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a source familiar with the matter said, as U.S. officials race to reach a Gaza denuclearization and ceasefire agreement before Biden leaves. office on January 20.

Biden and Netanyahu discussed ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Palestinian territories and release the remaining 98 hostages held there, the source said.

Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told CNN’s “State of the Union” program earlier Sunday that the parties were “very close” to reaching an agreement, but still had to reach it. in the end.

He said Biden has been receiving daily updates on the talks in Doha, where Israeli and Palestinian officials have said since Thursday that progress has been made in indirect talks between Israel and the Hamas militant group.

“We’re still committed to using every day we have in the office to do this,” Sullivan said, “and we’re not, by any stretch of the imagination, putting this aside.”

He said there is still a chance to reach an agreement before Biden leaves office, but it is also possible that “Hamas, in particular, remains unchanged.”

Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas militants stormed its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.

Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, much of the territory devastated and gripped by a humanitarian crisis, and most of the population there. they have fled their homes.

Deputy Vice President JD Vance told the “Fox News Sunday” program in an interview published on Saturday that he expects the release agreement for the US Middle East hostages to be announced in the final days of the Biden administration, possibly in the US . last day or two.

President-elect Donald Trump, a staunch supporter of Israel, has strongly supported Netanyahu’s goal of destroying Hamas. He has promised to bring peace to the Middle East, but has yet to say how he will achieve that.