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US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have spoken by phone – in Biden’s last week in office – as pressure is on for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages.
Israel and Hamas are understood to be making progress but uncertainty remains over key aspects of a potential deal.
The White House said Biden discussed “the dramatic changes in the region” following the end of Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and the weakening of Iran’s influence in the region.
Netanyahu’s office said it had updated Biden on the instructions he gave to Doha officials “to advance the release of the hostages”.
In Sunday’s calls, which were the first to be announced publicly since October, Mr. Biden “stressed the need to end the war in Gaza and return to those caught in humanitarian aid due to the suspension of the war that took place”.
It came a day after Netanyahu sent top Israeli security officials, including Mossad spy chiefs and Shin Bet security, to direct talks in the Qatari capital with the support of Qatari, US and Egyptian officials.
Israeli media say Netanyahu has met with members of his anti-war cabinet to pressure them not to resign.
And UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy met with his Israeli counterpart in Jerusalem to discuss progress on the deal.
On Saturday, the representative of Donald Trump in the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, met with the Prime Minister of Israel as he tried to reach an agreement before the inauguration of the President on January 20.
Trump has previously said that “all hell will break loose” if the hostages are not released before he returns to the White House.
Last Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the deal was “very close” and he hoped to “finalize it” before Trump took office. Any deal would be based on Biden’s proposals set out in May, he added.
Although it appears to be progressing, uncertainty over several key issues – including whether the initial agreement will lead to a ceasefire and whether Israeli forces will agree to withdraw from Gaza – remains.
Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent for The Economist, said he doubted an agreement would be reached quickly.
“We have been here many times,” he told the BBC’s Today Programme.
“There is room for hope, but until there is an official announcement or a ban or an end to the war and I start seeing hostages coming out, I’m going to be skeptical.”
But he added that it was in the interest of Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement before Trump took office.
“There is fear [from Hamas] that Trump will somehow give Israel permission to wreak unprecedented havoc in Gaza.”
“Both sides feel that they have a lot of money, they have suffered a lot.”
The war was triggered by a Hamas attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, during which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 were returned to Gaza as hostages. Israel launched a war in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says more than 46,500 people have been killed during the fighting.
Israel says 94 of the hostages remain in Gaza, of whom 34 are presumed dead, as well as four other Israelis who were captured before the war began, two of whom died.
