Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden discussed by telephone on Sunday progress in negotiations aimed at securing the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, Mr. Netanyahu’s office said.
JERUSALEM, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden discussed by telephone on Sunday the progress in negotiations aimed at securing the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, Netanyahu’s office said. Netanyahu.
Benjamin Netanyahu informed Mr. Biden that he had asked his negotiators in Qatar to advance negotiations aimed at obtaining the release of the hostages. A high-level Israeli delegation, which includes Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet security director Ronen Bar and army coordinator for hostage affairs Nitzan Alon, among others, arrived in Doha earlier Sunday,
Although Israeli and Palestinian officials reported progress in talks over the weekend, they gave few details. Citing unnamed Israeli officials, Israeli public broadcaster Kan TV said the discussions had been productive, and that a breakthrough was hoped for “in the coming days.”
Mr. Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the sides were “very, very close” to a deal, but needed yet “cross the finish line”.
The hostage crisis began on October 7, 2023 when Hamas fighters launched an attack in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and capturing some 250 hostages. Of these, 98 are still detained in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to have died.
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