Biden speaks with Netanyahu as U.S. prods Israel and Hamas to come to agreement on ceasefire deal

President Biden pushes for ceasefire in Gaza amid challenges, dimming hopes for quick resolution, despite high-level talks.

President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday as the United States presses Israel and Hamas to agree to a “bridging proposal” that could lead to a ceasefire in the war in Gaza.

Hamas and Israel have signaled that challenges remain amid significant differences over the presence of Israeli troops in two strategic corridors in Gaza and other issues, dimming Mr. Biden's hopes that a deal can soon be reached. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is in Chicago this week to accept her party's nomination at the Democratic National Convention, also joined the call.

Mr. Biden "stressed the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure," the White House said in a statement. The two leaders also discussed using high-level talks in Cairo this week between mediators from the U.S., Israel, Egypt and Qatar to work through "remaining obstacles" to an agreement.

But hope that a deal can be completed, at least in the near term, appears to be diminishing.

The president on Friday said he was “optimistic” that an agreement could be reached after he spoke by phone with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, whose countries are key interlocutors with Hamas.

But by Tuesday, Mr. Biden was notably more muted about the prospects of the two sides coming to an agreement soon. He told reporters after delivering an address at the Democratic convention that “Hamas was now backing off,” but that the U.S. is “going to keep pushing” to land a ceasefire deal.

The president spoke with the Israeli prime minister from Santa Ynez, Calif., where he's vacationing with his family at the 8,000-acre property of the medical technology mogul and Democratic donor Joe Kiani.