Lhe President of the United States Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke again by phone on Sunday about the conflict in the Gaza Strip, including the release of hostages held by Hamas and a cease-fire.
The two allied states “reviewed ongoing discussions on the release of hostages as well as an immediate ceasefire in Gaza,” the White House said in a statement, while diplomatic efforts in this direction intensify this Sunday.
A senior Hamas official announced that a delegation will give its response on Monday in Cairo to an Israeli truce proposal associated with the release of hostages, almost seven months after the start of the war triggered by the bloody attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement in Israel on October 7.
The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been trying for months to negotiate a truce between Israel and Hamas.
On the phone, Biden and Netanyahu “also discussed an increase in the delivery of humanitarian aid (into the) Gaza Strip, including through preparations for the opening this week of new crossing points in the north” of Palestinian territory bombed and besieged by the Israeli army.
“The president insisted on the need for lasting and amplified progress in full coordination with humanitarian organizations,” according to the White House press release.
Under pressure from its American ally, Israel announced at the beginning of April “immediate measures to increase humanitarian aid” to Gaza, via the port of Ashdod and the Erez crossing point.
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The war was triggered after the unprecedented attack by Palestinian Hamas on October 7 on Israeli soil, which resulted in the death of 1,170 people, according to an AFP report based on official Israeli data.
Israel’s vast military operation in response caused a humanitarian catastrophe and left more than 34,400 dead in the Gaza Strip, mainly civilians, according to the Hamas health ministry.
Regarding a possible Israeli assault on the city of Rafah (south), where a million and a half civilians are crowded, including many people displaced by the war, President Biden “reaffirmed his clear position” of opposition to such an operation, according to the White House.
