MIRIAM NNOLI 
The outgoing United States (US) President, Joe Biden on Sunday pleaded with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu about the ongoing talks for a ceasefire in Gaza.
President Biden who spoke with Netanyahu on January 12 stressed the immediate need for a truce, as well as the return of Israeli captives held in the Palestinian enclave.
The President’s plea came to the fore as he pushed for a deal to stop the fighting before President-elect, Donald Trump returns to the White House on January 20.
New Telegraph recalls that negotiations mediated over the past year by the US, Egypt and Qatar, have repeatedly stalled at moments when they seemed close to a deal.
READ ALSO
- Biden Awards Pope Francis Presidential Medal Of Freedom With Distinction
- Biden Sets To Send $8bn Arms Shipment To Israel
- Biden: New Orleans Attacker Inspired By IS
However, US officials have expressed hope of sealing an agreement as another round of talk is taking place in the Qatari capital, Doha, with the head of Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence agency, David Barnea, as well as Biden’s top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, both attending the talks.
According to the White House, the ongoing talks in Doha are for a deal based on the phased ceasefire that Biden had announced in May of last year, which was later endorsed unanimously by the United Nations Security Council(UNSC).
Furthermore, Netanyahu thanked Biden for his lifelong support of Israel and has previously signalled that he is committed only to the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which envisions the release of some captives in exchange for a weeks-long halt in fighting.
