U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed progress in Gaza cease-fire negotiations during a phone call Sunday.
Netanyahu told Biden about "the mandate he gave to the negotiating team to Doha in order to advance the release of our hostages," thanking both Biden and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for their help in "this sacred mission."
The White House said that Biden and Netanyahu had discussed the ongoing negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha and the release of the hostages on the basis of a cease-fire plan that Biden had presented in May last year.
On the call, Biden also spoke with Netanyahu about the "fundamentally changed regional circumstances" following the cease-fire in Lebanon, the fall of the Bashar Assad regime in Syria and the weakening of Iran's regional influence, the White House statement said.
"He stressed the immediate need for a cease-fire in Gaza and return of the hostages with a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by a stoppage in the fighting under the deal," it added.
