A lot of the 45-minute dialog centered on a proposal for an prolonged humanitarian pause within the Israel-Hamas struggle that might permit the discharge of hostages nonetheless held by the militant group, in line with a senior administration official.
Safety of civilians in Gaza “is a continuing dialogue between us and the Israelis,” whilst Biden shares Israel’s objective of defeating Hamas, mentioned the official, who briefed reporters on the situation of anonymity beneath guidelines set by the White Home.
How civilians could be spared from an Israeli offensive within the southernmost metropolis in Gaza “is a large query,” the official mentioned. Most of these in Rafah have moved there to keep away from preventing elsewhere within the enclave. They stay in makeshift shelters and are virtually completely supported by the trickle of humanitarian support that’s allowed to transit by way of the Egyptian border.
“The president and the prime minister had a fairly detailed backwards and forwards on that. I believe our place on it is extremely clear,” the official mentioned. The USA wouldn’t help such an operation except Israel has a plan for civilian safety and sustenance “that was really deliberate, ready and implementable.”
In his strongest public assertion thus far, Biden informed reporters Thursday that Israel’s navy marketing campaign in Gaza, which native well being officers mentioned has brought about practically 28,000 deaths, has been “excessive.” Sunday’s dialog was the primary between the 2 leaders since Jan. 19.
Hours earlier than his telephone name with Biden, Netanyahu informed ABC’s “This Week” that Israel was “doing every thing we will to reduce civilian casualties. … However one factor we’re not going to do is we’re not going to let Hamas emerge victorious.”
Requested how and the place Israel proposed to look after and transfer greater than 1,000,000 individuals to security from Rafah, Netanyahu pointed to “the areas that we’ve cleared, north of Rafah — loads of areas there. However we’re figuring out an in depth plan to take action.”
“Those that are saying that certainly not ought to we enter Rafah are mainly saying, lose the struggle. Preserve Hamas there,” Netanyahu mentioned. Israel has mentioned that senior Hamas leaders have moved their operations to southern Gaza to flee Israeli assaults.
The telephone name between the leaders got here upfront of CIA Director William J. Burns’s journey to Cairo on Tuesday to proceed negotiations with Egypt and Qatar on implementing a framework proposal for a pause within the preventing to allow the discharge of hostages Hamas remains to be holding inside Gaza. The proposal, despatched two weeks in the past to either side within the battle, requires a six-week cease-fire that might permit civilian hostages to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and a big enhance in humanitarian support.
The USA hopes is that the preliminary pause would construct momentum for extensions permitting for the discharge of all hostages, together with Israeli navy personnel in addition to the our bodies of greater than two dozen of about 1,200 individuals who have been killed by the Hamas fighters who invaded southern Israel on Oct. 7, sparking the present struggle.
“The framework is just about in place,” the senior administration official mentioned. “There are definitely gaps that should be closed. A few of them are important. However there was actual progress over the previous few weeks and we’re now searching for to do all we presumably can to capitalize on it.”
Hamas’s response to the proposal, transmitted to negotiators final week, referred to as for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to be launched, together with some with prolonged sentences for important crimes. It additionally insisted that Israel withdraw all its troops from Gaza earlier than discussions on a second-phase launch might start. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Tel Aviv on the time, referred to as a few of Hamas’s calls for “non-starters,” however mentioned that the response had supplied “area” to work with.
Regardless of Netanyahu’s publicly unfavorable response to the proposal, “the framework is just not rejected,” the senior official mentioned. “There are gaps which have to shut and a number of the variations are important. … However in comparison with the place we have been a month in the past, to now, there actually has been important progress.”
Sketching the paradoxical relationship between a possible Israeli floor offensive in Rafah and the prospects for preventing pause, the official mentioned, “You’ll not get a hostage deal except Hamas is beneath important strain. … It’s one thing the Israelis inform us on a regular basis. It’s one thing that we agree with.”
