Joe Biden says Benjamin Netanyahu has not done enough to secure a hostage deal and ceasefire with Hamas, amid reports that a new proposal will be presented to the Israeli prime minister as a “final” one.
US President and Vice President Kamala Harris met with negotiators in the Situation Room to finalize a proposal.
Asked whether Netanyahu had done enough, Biden said “no.” He added that the United States would not give up and would “do everything we can” to push for a deal.
According to the Washington Post, U.S. officials classified this latest proposal as a “take it or leave it” deal.
It comes after Israel found the bodies of six hostages in Gaza on Saturday, including Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Poulin.
Their deaths sparked widespread protests in Israel, where protesters criticized Netanyahu’s handling of the war and hostage crisis.
At a meeting in the Situation Room on Monday, U.S. officials said Biden and Harris discussed next steps for releasing the hostages, including continuing talks with co-mediators Qatar and Egypt.
In a subsequent statement, Biden said the United States was “shocked and outraged” by the deaths of Goldberg-Poulin and five others.
“There is no doubt that Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes,” he said.
On Sunday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with the American families of the remaining hostages. Axios news website reported that he conveyed the news that Biden would propose a “final” hostage release and ceasefire proposal later this week.
The American family of Edan Alexander, an Israeli soldier still held hostage in Gaza, urged Israel to accept the deal, saying it was “an opportunity not to be lost before it comes again.”
His father, Adi Alexander, praised the “dedication and commitment” shown by the United States in reaching the deal and said Sunday was his 15th meeting with Mr. Sullivan since his son’s abduction on October 7.
But in an interview with BBC US partner CBS News on Monday, he called on US officials to “do something different because 11 months later the result is the same”.
Alexander accused Netanyahu of “prolonging the war for short-term political gains.”
“Time is passing and we are bringing more bodies out of Gaza. This is unacceptable,” he said.
White HouseThe Washington Post reported that the killing of six hostages added urgency to Biden aides’ push for a deal.
“You cannot continue to negotiate this issue. The process has to start at some point,” a senior official told the newspaper.
“Is this a deal breaker? No. If anything, it should add additional urgency to the closing stages we are already in,” they added.
The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been trying for months to reach a deal that would include a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas.
The Biden administration has criticized Hamas for failing to reach a deal, although U.S. foreign officials have also blamed Netanyahu’s demands for the effort’s failure.
On October 7, Hamas breached the Gaza border, killing 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping 251, and the Gaza war broke out.
According to the Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in retaliatory attacks.
The US response to the war has implications for the Biden administration and Ms Harris, the Democratic candidate in November’s US presidential election. The pro-Palestinian wing of the party urged a ceasefire.
Ms Harris’ opponent, Republican candidate Donald Trump, accused Ms Harris and Biden of failing to reach an agreement over last weekend’s hostage deaths.
