![Biden spoke with Netanyahu Wednesday at a critical moment in Gaza talks](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/20240601-israel.jpg?c=16x9&q=w_800,c_fill)
Biden spoke with Netanyahu Wednesday at a critical moment in Gaza talks
CNN
President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday about “the ceasefire and hostage release deal and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tensions,” White House spokesperson Emilie Simons posted on X.
President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday about “the ceasefire and hostage release deal and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tensions,” White House spokesperson Emilie Simons posted on X. Vice President Kamala Harris also joined the call, which came at a critical moment in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier this week in Israel that it may be the last opportunity for a deal. Biden made the call from Santa Ynez, California where he is vacationing this week. On Tuesday, Netanyahu was reported to have said “there might not be” a hostage and ceasefire deal and insisted that Israel Defense Forces troops will remain in the Philadelphi corridor on the Egypt-Gaza border and not withdraw. That has been a significant sticking point in the ongoing negotiations. Officials from the different parties have been meeting this week to keep ironing out the details of an agreement after the US, Egypt and Qatar put forward a proposal late last week to bridge the remaining gaps. CIA Director Bill Burns and other senior negotiators are expected to return to Cairo for further high-level talks this weekend. Blinken said Tuesday that despite reported comments from Netanyahu, Israel has agreed to withdrawals of IDF forces from Gaza that are laid out in the recent mediators’ proposal to get closer to a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
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