WASHINGTON, August 22. /TASS/. In a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Joe Biden told him that a ceasefire deal with Palestine’s radical movement HAMAS needs to be signed as soon as possible, the White House press service said.

"The President stressed the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles," the press service said in a statement.

On top of that, the sides discussed active and ongoing US efforts to support Israel’s defense against all threats, including from Iran and groups that Washington views as its proxies, such as HAMAS, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.

On August 15-16, Doha hosted a new round of consultations aimed at reaching an agreement on the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip and the implementation of a ceasefire there. A joint statement by Egypt, Qatar and the US on the consultations said that the talks were held in a positive atmosphere. The US, backed by Qatar and Egypt, presented a proposal to Israel and to Hamas that closes the remaining gaps between them. However, Hamas said that the new US initiative only took Israel’s interests into account.

The parties agreed to hold the next meeting in Cairo before the end of this week. Working teams will continue technical work over the coming days on the details of implementation, including arrangements to implement the agreement’s humanitarian provisions, as well as specifics relating to hostages and detainees.