WASHINGTON, July 26. /TASS/. US President Joe Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the ongoing negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the White House press service said in a statement.

The document says the US and Israeli leaders "discussed developments in Gaza and the ongoing negotiations on the ceasefire and hostage release deal in detail."

"President Biden expressed the need to close the remaining gaps, finalize the deal as soon as possible, bring the hostages home, and reach a durable end to the war in Gaza," the White House said.

He also raised the issue of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, stressing the need to remove any obstacles to the flow of aid to the Palestinian enclave, and noting the critical importance of protecting civilian lives during the military operation.

Netanyahu travelled to the US capital on July 22 and addressed the US Congress on July 24. On Thursday, he met with US Vice President Kamala Harris. Former US President Donald Trump said he would meet with Netanyahu in Florida on July 26.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also been reported on the West Bank. According to latest reports, about 39,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 90,100 wounded as a result of the Israeli operation. 70% of them are women and children.

On May 31, US President Joe Biden announced his three-phase Israel-Palestine ceasefire plan, with each phase lasting six weeks. The first stage envisages a complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from populated localities in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian inmates from Israeli prisons. Apart from that, the parties are supposed to begin talks during this stage, with the ceasefire staying in place until they reach an agreement. Phase two provides for the release of all surviving hostages, including the military. The third stage will see the beginning of the reconstruction of the war-torn Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu said his government supports the plan, while Hamas has been obstructing the deal.