Biden asked Trump to work together on Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal
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Biden and Trump in the Oval Office. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
President Biden asked President-elect Trump during their two-hour meeting on Wednesday to work together in order to push for a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
Why it matters: Biden wants to use the two months he has left in office to break the prolonged deadlock in the negotiations over a Gaza deal. Trump on the other hand would likely be happy to reach Inauguration Day with one less crisis on his plate.
Driving the news: "We're prepared to work with the incoming team in common cause on a bipartisan basis to do everything in our collective American power to secure the release of the hostages, both living and deceased," national security adviser Jake Sullivan said today.
- Sullivan said the White House had "sent a signal" to Trump's team that it is prepared to work with them on the hostages issue.
Behind the scenes: Biden met on Wednesday in the Oval Office for an hour and a half with the families of the American hostages who are held in Gaza, two sources with knowledge of the meeting tell Axios.
- One source said the families stressed that the hostages are running out of time and expressed concern for their lives.
- Biden told the families that he and Trump agreed that the hostage issue is urgent and that they want to try and solve it before January 20, the other source said.
- The president told the families they have every right to be angry at him for not bringing their loved ones home by now, the two sources said.
What's next: The families of the U.S. hostages asked for meetings with many of the newly appointed members of Trump's team with the aim of getting them to engage on the issue immediately, the two sources said.
State of play: Israeli officials say 101 hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza and at least 50 of them are believed to be alive.
- Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is at its lowest point since the war began, according to aid groups. More than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
- Negotiations over a deal to release the hostages and establish a ceasefire in Gaza have been stalled for almost three months with no significant talks between Israel and Hamas taking place.
The latest: Two recent Egyptian and U.S. initiatives for a partial deal that would include the release of a small number of hostages were rejected by Hamas because they would allow the war to continue after a pause.
- As a result, the U.S. demanded Qatar close Hamas' office in Doha and deport Hamas leaders.
- Last week, Qatar announced it was suspending its mediation efforts as long as Israel and Hamas don't negotiate seriously.
