Biden does not believe Netanyahu doing enough to secure hostage deal

WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden said Monday that he does not think Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doing enough to secure a hostage deal with Hamas.

His remarks came in response to a reporter during his arrival at the White House.

Biden also said he believes a final deal for the release of hostages held by the Palestinian group is "very close."

Earlier, The Washington Post reported that the US plans to present a "take it or leave it" cease-fire deal to the parties in the coming weeks.

A senior administration official who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity said if the two sides fail to accept the deal, it could mark the end of the American-led negotiations.

Biden's remarks also came two days after the recovery of the bodies of six Israeli hostages in Gaza, which prompted protests against Netanyahu’s government over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu argued on Monday that international pressure should be put on Hamas.

“I don’t believe that either President Biden or anyone serious about achieving peace and achieving the release (of hostages) would seriously ask Israel, Israel, to make these concessions," he told a news conference.

Biden plans to speak to Netanyahu 'eventually'

Biden said later in the evening that he plans to speak to Netanyahu "eventually," without giving the exact timing.

Earlier, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with the US hostage deal negotiation team at the White House, where the president expressed "devastation and outrage" at the hostages' murders.

They also discussed the next steps in the ongoing effort to secure the release of hostages, including continuing consultations with co-mediators Qatar and Egypt.

Israel estimates that more than 100 hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza, some of whom are believed to have been already killed.

For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and a cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’s demands to stop the war.

Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip has killed more than 40,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 94,100 others, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

*Diyar Guldogan from Washington, D.C. contributed to this report