Biden pushes Netanyahu to get a Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal after Lebanon truce
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Families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza speak with reporters after meeting with President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on July 25. Photo: Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images
President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call on Tuesday that following the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, the focus should now be on reaching a deal for the hostages to be released and a ceasefire in Gaza, two U.S. officials told Axios.
Why it matters: There are still 101 hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas, including seven American citizens. Israeli intelligence services believe roughly half of them are still alive.
- U.S. officials said Biden intends to continue pushing for a deal to release the hostages until his last day in office, even if President-elect Trump ultimately gets credit for a deal.
- "Biden thinks that doing nothing and telling the hostage families to wait until Jan. 20 would be crazy," one of Biden's aides told Axios.
Behind the scenes: Two U.S. officials said the conversation between Biden and Netanyahu, which took place shortly after the Israeli Security Cabinet approved the Lebanon ceasefire agreement, lasted a few minutes and the only topic that came up besides Lebanon was the deal to release the hostages and establish a ceasefire in Gaza.
- "We have an opportunity now. Let's get the hostages," Biden told Netanyahu, according to the U.S. officials who said the prime minister responded positively and said he wanted to try.
- Israeli and U.S. officials said the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon increases the chances of a Gaza deal, even if it only includes implementing the first phase of the proposed deal and the release of only some of the hostages.
A senior Israeli Cabinet minister told Axios that Netanyahu is interested in pushing for a partial hostage deal that would not oblige him to agree to an end to the war and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
- "There is an intention to make a renewed effort to get a deal in Gaza. It was clear that the war in Lebanon had to end first. Now Hamas is in a weaker position because Hezbollah is out of the war," the Cabinet minister said.
- The Israeli Prime Minister's Office declined to comment.
Following the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, Hamas on Wednesday issued a statement that the group is willing to cooperate with efforts to reach a deal in Gaza.
- However, Hamas emphasized that any agreement must include an end to the war and a full withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces from Gaza.
Between the lines: In the last round of negotiations in August, Netanyahu added new conditions for a deal. Israeli negotiators saw Hamas' position as a response to Netanyahu's new terms.
- Netanyahu's critics, including many families of the hostages, accuse him of undermining a deal for his own political survival.
- Biden and his team have been publicly putting the onus on Hamas and accusing it of preventing a deal.
- But in private, the president and his aides also put some of the responsibility on Netanyahu.
Catch up quick: The negotiations over the Gaza deal have been stalled for more than three months.
- During Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Washington two weeks ago, he urged Biden to work with Trump on advancing a deal.
- Herzog conveyed the same message in a phone call with Trump after his election victory and said it was an urgent matter.
- Trump was surprised to hear from Herzog during the call that, contrary to what he thought, half of the hostages are believed to be alive, according to three sources briefed on the call.
- A few days after meeting Herzog, Biden raised the issue of the hostages during his meeting with Trump in the Oval Office and proposed they work together on a deal.
- White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan also discussed the hostages issue last week with his successor Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla).
State of play: Since Qatar announced earlier this month that it was suspending its efforts to mediate a deal, several senior Hamas officials, including the head of the negotiating team, Khalil al-Hayya, left Doha and moved to Turkey.
- The director of the Israeli Shin Bet intelligence agency Ronen Bar recently visited Turkey and met with his Turkish counterpart Ibrahim Kalin to discuss the hostage deal. Since that visit, Turkey has become more active on the issue, Israeli officials said.
- In his speech at the White House on Tuesday, Biden mentioned Turkey, along with Egypt and Qatar, as countries who could help advance a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.
- Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited Cairo on Wednesday and met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The Egyptian foreign minister said after the meeting that one of the main issues discussed was the efforts to reach a deal in Gaza.
