US President Joe Biden met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and called on the Israeli leader to swiftly finalise a deal on a Gaza ceasefire and the release of remaining captives.
“President Biden expressed the need to close the remaining gaps, finalise the deal as soon as possible, bring the hostages home, and reach a durable end to the war in Gaza,” according to a White House readout, which added they discussed the “humanitarian crisis” in the embattled Palestinian territory and the need to remove obstacles to the flow of aid.
Israel’s nearly 10-month-old war on Gaza has killed over 39,000 people and completely devastated the enclave.
Israel said one of its soldiers had died in the southern city of Rafah, as airstrikes continued to pound the central city of Khan Younis and other parts of the coastal strip.
