President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Sunday to discuss the prospects of a possible ceasefire that would secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, while repeating the his report of a new Israeli attack on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, officials said.
The call came just hours after Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken left Washington for travel His latest trip to the Middle East aimed at reducing the scale of the war in Gaza. Mr. Blinken will start in Saudi Arabia, where he will meet with Egyptian and Qatari officials who have acted as intermediaries with Hamas in ceasefire and hostage negotiations, which remain in a deadlock. occlusion.
Mr. Blinken is expected to visit Israel while in the region this week, although the State Department has not announced an itinerary beyond his stop in Riyadh, where he will attend a three-day meeting of the Forum. World Economic Forum. The secretary played a key role in the Biden administration’s efforts to broker a halt to the war, increase humanitarian aid and win the release of more than 100 hostages believed to remain in Gaza since the attack terrorist attack led by Hamas on October 7.
The call also came three weeks after Mr. Biden told Mr. Netanyahu that he would rethink his support for Israel’s war unless it does more to facilitate the delivery of food and other supplies to Gaza and limit civilian casualties. Since then, humanitarian aid to Gaza has increased significantly and Biden’s advisers have credited Israel with meeting the president’s demands, although US officials have acknowledged that aid remains inadequate. .
Israel does withdraw some forces from southern Gaza but said they were still planning a major attack on Rafah, where about a million Palestinians are refugees. Biden administration officials have expressed concerns about the possible operation, and Israeli officials said they would review that response and consult further with American partners.
In a statement after the call, the White House said Biden “reiterated his clear position” on any Rafah activity and had reviewed with the prime minister “ongoing negotiations to ensure release of hostages along with an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.” .”
“The president and prime minister also discussed increasing the provision of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, including preparations to open new border crossings in the north starting this week,” the statement said. “The President emphasized the need to maintain and strengthen this progress in full coordination with humanitarian organizations.”
The statement only mentioned the recent clash between Israel and Iran, saying only that Mr. Biden “reaffirmed his firm commitment to Israel’s security after successfully defending against a missile attack and Iran’s unprecedented drone attack earlier this month.”
Israeli and American forces, with help from European and Arab allies, shot down almost all of them more than 300 missiles and drones was fired by Iran into Israel earlier this month in retaliation for Israel’s killing of senior Iranian officers. Israel listened to Mr. Biden’s plea for restraint but only responded a token counterattackand both sides said they wanted to avoid further escalation.
With the immediate threat of a broader war seemingly fading, Mr. Biden and his team may turn their attention back to Gaza. Under the US-sponsored ceasefire proposal, Israel would suspend hostilities for six weeks and release hundreds of Palestinians held in its prisons in exchange for the release of 40 hostages held by Hamas, mainly are vulnerable to women, older men, and people with health conditions. Later stages of the deal would then extend the ceasefire and lead to more hostages being freed.
US officials said Israel had accepted the plan and that it was being blocked by Hamas. Israel presented a new counterproposal on Friday, raising the prospect of a more permanent end to hostilities. Hamas, which has demanded a permanent end to the war as part of any deal, said Saturday it had agreed. offer has been received and am considering it.
