US President Joe Biden pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas in Gaza during a phone call on Wednesday, the White House said.
“The President stressed the urgency of finalizing the ceasefire and hostage release agreement and discussed upcoming negotiations in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles,” the White House added in a statement.
According to the document, the president “stressed the urgency of finalizing the ceasefire and hostage release agreement and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles.”
In the call, the two leaders also discussed U.S. efforts to defend Israel “against all threats emanating from Iran and its allied terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, including ongoing U.S. defensive military deployments.”
Round of negotiations “until further notice”
A source close to the peace negotiations told EFE that the mediating delegations from Egypt, Qatar and the United States have postponed “until further notice” the round of negotiations, which were scheduled to begin this Wednesday in Cairo with the participation of the Israeli side.
The decision comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken left Doha, the last stop on his ninth visit to the Middle East that has taken him to Israel, Egypt and Qatar to pressure the Hamas group, considered a terrorist organisation by several countries, to accept the mediators’ proposal launched last week in the Qatari capital.
The delay comes at a time of heightened tension as talks have reached a standstill over Israel’s new demands, which Hamas rejects, even though the mediating parties have insisted they are making progress to close existing gaps and achieve a truce.
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