President Biden believes that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should do more to secure a cease-fire and seal a hostage deal in Gaza. Netanyahu’s current efforts were deemed insufficient by Biden. The recent discovery of the body of an Israeli-American hostage in Gaza has sparked protests and a general strike in Israel. Biden has spoken with the families of the hostages and is pushing for their release. There are still seven Americans among the 101 hostages held by Hamas, with a third of them estimated to be dead by the Israeli government. Netanyahu expressed regret for not being able to bring the deceased hostages back alive. Biden has been pressing Netanyahu on a particular part of the hostage deal, but there have been no recent calls between the two leaders. Negotiations for a cease-fire have been ongoing between the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar. Biden and Vice President Harris met with national security officials to discuss the situation in Israel, and Biden flew to Pittsburgh for a campaign event later in the day. Negotiations are still ongoing, but progress has been slow in securing the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas.
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Biden criticizes Netanyahu for insufficient efforts to secure release of Israel’s hostages
